Keystone
A “large fire” broke out in a factory in Berlin, in the southwestern district of Lichterfelde, and firefighters warned of a “toxic cloud”. The website of the Bild newspaper writes it.
«We can confirm that chemicals are also burning in the building. Sulfuric acid and copper cyanide are stored there. There is a risk that hydrogen cyanide will form” and then rise “into the air with smoke”, a spokesman for the Berlin fire brigade, Adrian Wenzel, told the newspaper. “There are currently 130 firefighters in action,” he added.
The firefighters alerted the population via app and recommended avoiding the area around the factory, closing doors and windows and turning off ventilation and air conditioning. The Berlin municipality has issued an official danger warning, advising people to avoid the area. Students and teachers from surrounding schools were sent home.
The factory is a galvanizing plant for the treatment of metal surfaces and is called «Diehl Metal Applications». “The building is now burning completely on four floors. A part (…) has already collapsed. We are only extinguishing from the outside. It is no longer possible to control the fire from the inside,” the spokesperson said.
SDA
