TO Bolzano a big one broke out fire in a large company in the area, la Alpitronic, among the most important in Italy for the production of charging stations for electric cars. The flames would have developed shortly after 9 am and would have enveloped an area of the plant which was under renovation.
A thick column of black smoke immediately developed from the plant. The city’s airport is also closed as a precaution, while the Civil protection advised citizens to keep their windows closed to prevent smoke from the fire from entering their homes.
The fire at the Alpitronic in Bolzano
On the morning of Wednesday 8 May in the company Alpitronic of Bolzano a big fire broke out. Shortly after 9 in the morning a fire broke out in an area of the plant where renovation works were underway. The company was immediately evacuated, as were other buildings in the area including a high school.
Immediately all available units of the fire fighters from the city of Bolzano went to the scene to put out the fire. During the morning the firefighters moved the pipes of their systems to the nearby Isarco river, to use the water after the water contained in the tankers was proving insufficient to put out the flames. Despite the difficulty encountered by rescuers in preventing the flames from spreading inside the building, the situation appears to be under control and there appears to be no possibility of the fire spreading further.
There is initially no information on victims or injuries from the fire. After breaking out in the warehouse area, which was being renovated, the fire spread to the entire factory. Firefighters are having trouble putting out the flames and a large column of smoke has risen into the city sky. Among the measures taken by the local authorities also the closure of Bolzano airport, as a precaution.
What does Alpitronic produce and what are the possible environmental risks
Alpitronic is one of the most important manufacturers of electric car charging stations in Italy. Born in 2009 in the context of the Tis Innovations Park in Bolzano, it began by focusing on innovation in the field of electronics, a path that led in 2017 to the production ofHypercharger, high power charging column. In recent years it has perfected this product in the wake of investments in the sector.
The local authorities of Bolzano they seem worried about the cloud that rose from the company during the fire. Being a plant that mainly deals with electronics, there should be no risks related to large quantities of chemical agents, but still the Civil protection is urging the local population to take some precautions. House windows should remain closed and ventilation and air conditioning systems turned off.
On site, together with the firefighters, there are also technicians from theEnvironment Agencyand to ascertain the situation of any environmental damage, taking samples as a precaution to check for the presence of toxic residues. The Civil Protection has communicated that, thanks to the meteorological conditions, the cloud is rapidly rising and is not falling on the city of Bolzano.
