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Major fire in the port of Hamburg: Fire brigade continues to fight against embers!
A major fire breaks out in the port of Hamburg, with more than 120 firefighters on duty. Injuries and explosions make extinguishing work more difficult.
Major fire in the port of Hamburg: Fire brigade continues to fight against embers!
A major fire caused massive concern in the port of Hamburg on Monday afternoon, more precisely in the Veddel district. More than 20 hours after the fire broke out, the fire department finally reported a “fire out” in the affected warehouse. But the dangers have not yet been completely averted; Around 120 emergency services are still on site and are fighting smaller fires and embers, while the danger from compressed gas containers still exists PZ News reports.
The extinguishing work is extremely challenging. Materials in locked containers have further complicated the situation. Strong explosions, particularly from nitrous oxide bottles, during extinguishing work also posed additional risks. The explosions caused debris to be thrown hundreds of meters and many roads in the area surrounding the fire had to be closed. Traffic on the A1 motorway was also affected when flying debris caused an accident in which a female driver was injured. Traffic on the A1 between the Norderelbe triangle and the Hamburg-Südost triangle was reopened after a temporary closure late on Monday evening, reports NDR.
Injuries and evacuations
A total of six people were injured, including three firefighters who are struggling with blast trauma and a driver on Autobahn 1, whose injuries are also serious. Tragically, one person's life is even in danger. It is also worrying that the health-endangering fire gases in Hamburg's city center caused an odor nuisance, but no limits were found to be exceeded. 25 people were able to be brought to safety from the danger area; some of them were even evacuated by boat.
The origin of the fire is still being determined. Experts suspect that the fire was caused by a burning car in a warehouse. While firefighters were able to extinguish most of the main fire, there are still smaller hot spots that require maximum attention.
Support from technical relief organization
The fire department is supported by special vehicles from Hamburg Airport, while the Technical Relief Agency has installed light poles and water pumps to provide the best possible support in the fire-fighting work. The Aurubis factory fire department was also mobilized to support the fire brigade during the operation. The situation remains tense and the fire brigade and police fire investigators cannot yet work fully as the fire scene is currently closed.
These events are not entirely unexpected. A prime example of the dangers of dealing with combustible materials is the analysis in a report by CTIF, which highlights fire incident statistics around the world. The report highlights that fires caused by automotive fuel can often have unpredictable and dangerous consequences.
The fire and rescue services have shown a good hand in this critical situation, but the coming hours will be crucial to eliminate the remaining dangers and return the region to a safe condition.