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CatastropheGermany

Germany: Hamburg issues a smoke warning as large fires rage

April 9, 2023

Residents in the northern German city of Hamburg have been told to close their windows and doors. The cause of the warehouse fires is not yet known.

https://p.dw.com/p/4PqeX
Dark clouds and fire rise up from warehouses in Hamburg
Residents have been warned of the 'extreme danger' posed by the smokeImage: picture alliance/dpa

The fire department in the German port city of Hamburg issued a warning on Sunday morning as a large fire billowed out smoke and hazardous gases.

Police said around Sunday afternoon that "currently no elevated readings are detected," according to the DPA news agency, but the official warning remains in place.

The fire and smoke are classified as an "extreme danger" in an official warning.

Two warehouses at a truck stop in the Rothenburgsort district of the city had been in flames since the early hours of the morning, according to German media.

The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), the DPA  reported.

People evacuated as toxic gasses leak

Local public broadcaster NDR reported that hydrogen sulfide was leaking from the site, according to initial investigations. Firefighters were also reportedly only able to be on the scene with respirators.

Firefighters were still tackling the blaze several hours after it was first reported.

"Hamburg's city center is completely blacked out," a fire department spokesperson told DPA, following earlier reports that the plumes of smoke were heading for the center.

Firefighters up a ladder douse the flames coming from the Hamburg warehouses
Seven fire trucks were deployed to the scene to tackle the blazeImage: picture alliance/dpa

A police spokesperson told Reuters that it was not yet possible to fully assess the danger posed by the fire, but added that 140 people had been evacuated from the area.

Part of the problem was the dark sky which made it difficult to determine what was smoke and what was a normal cloud.

Blaze causes disruption to trains

Hamburg residents were told to keep their doors and windows closed and were told to turn off air conditioning systems and close vents.

No injuries have been reported as of Sunday afternoon.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said that it had closed the route between Hamburg and the nearby town of Büchen due to the fire.

Trains between Hamburg and Berlin were also being diverted and could face delays of up to 60 minutes.

NDR reported that there were numerous explosions and that six fire trucks had been deployed to fight the blaze.

Emergency services were not able to give information on what exactly was being burned inside the warehouses or on what caused the fire.

ab/kb (dpa, AFP. AP)