The first message launched shortly after midday on Nina – the civil protection app for managing catastrophic events – reflects the level of alarm of the federal authorities: «Keep the windows closed. Don’t leave your house” is the advice given yesterday to hundreds of thousands of Berliners living in the West neighborhoods between Spandau and Potsdam. The firefighters’ explanation follows, even more disturbing: “A building containing chemicals including sulfuric acid and copper cyanide is burning.”
In the sky, now visible throughout the city, stretches the gigantic black cloud produced by the fire which did not hit a normal “building” but rather the most crucial arms factory in Germany which also corresponds to the most important plant for Ukraine today .
TO GO on fire in the South-West district of Lichterfelde, on the border with Brandenburg, are none other than the mega-warehouses of the arms manufacturer Diehl, producer of sophisticated air defense systems made in Germany including the famous Iris-T.
Over 190 fire engines were on site with sirens blaring, including fire engines from the nearby Willy Brandt international airport, which were alerted after it was not possible to put out the flames in the first five hours of operations. “We will continue all night” confirm the firefighters while the toxic fume detector van continues to patrol the main arteries and the municipal transport company diverts the metro and bus lines as far as possible.
In the air, together with the noxious fumes, the politically no less toxic question remains suspended, obligatory in light of the war scenario at least contemporary to the accident. Is this sabotage by the Russians?
“At the moment we cannot establish any cause for the fire” cuts the official note short, taking care not to mention the dozens of intelligence service agents including the foreign BND and the Mad military service already at work to examine the hypothesis which makes the wrists of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius tremble as well as the general staff of the Ukrainian army never so hung up on sending anti-aircraft missiles.
THE ONLY DATA incontrovertible for now is that the Diehl factory in Berlin is destroyed. Given the technical impossibility of putting out the fire, the firefighters allowed the four floors of the factory to burn until the supporting structures collapsed. Damage amounting to millions of euros for the armaments manufacturer but also a devastating blow to the image of the government, in particular of Chancellor Olaf Scholz whose face stands out in the SPD billboards for the European elections put up in recent days (also) in the neighborhoods enveloped by the toxic cloud with the slogan: «Peace in security».
The reassuring promise seems to coincide very little with the report by Adrian Wentzel, spokesperson for the Berlin fire brigade, indicating the risk that yesterday’s fire could have formed “a cloud of hydrocyanic acid”, as demonstrated by the special production suits made wear to the firefighters right away.
ESSENTIALLY, beyond the possible malicious intent and material damage, the fire at the factory of the manufacturer of the Iris-T missiles is nevertheless destined to impact German public opinion which is already less than enthusiastic about the double record recorded by the country which has now become Kiev’s first partner in Europe both economically and militarily.
«I thank Germany for the new supplies, including the air shield which will save many lives» said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky just three months ago, thus welcoming the imminent arrival of the Diehl missiles.
