A dangerous substance has escaped on an industrial site in the Mainz-Kostheim district of Wiesbaden. The fire brigade came with a large contingent and secured the affected containers.
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Irritant gas leak on the factory premises in Wiesbaden
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The Wiesbaden fire brigade was on Monday evening after an incident in a paper factory with a large contingent. A dangerous substance had escaped in one of the workshops in the Mainz-Kostheim district of Wiesbaden. 13 firefighters were injured in the operation. According to a fire department spokesman, they suffered respiratory irritation.
The substance stored in containers, which is used for paper production, decomposed as a result of a chemical reaction, according to the fire brigade. This resulted in heavy smoke and high temperatures. The resulting sulfur dioxide also led to an enormous odor in the neighborhood.
A warning about the chemical accident, which has since been lifted, said that the substances could lead to health problems. The affected area should be bypassed extensively.
Sulfur dioxide leak – warning to residents
As a precaution, residents were asked on Monday evening to close windows and doors and switch off ventilation and air conditioning systems. You should go to enclosed spaces immediately and notify neighbors of the warning if necessary.
“Due to the decomposition product, sulfur dioxide, there was also an odor in the neighboring neighborhood,” said a spokesman for the fire brigade. Measuring vehicles carried out measurements in the surrounding districts. After the wind changed, measuring vehicles were also sent to the city of Mainz and the district of Groß-Gerau.
On Tuesday morning, the fire brigade made it clear: “At no time could a dangerous concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air be detected outside of the factory premises using the fire brigade.” The warning was lifted around 2 a.m.
Chemical Reaction – Two containers affected
According to the fire brigade, the affected container was so far under control in the morning that the hall could be cleared. A second container had also heated up. In order to prevent other substances stored in the workshop from reacting in the containers due to the heat generated, these were cooled with water.
The containers not previously affected were taken to a neighboring hall. Several fallen parts of the building, including a ventilation system, were recovered. The work was still going on at noon, but the number of emergency services had been significantly reduced.
13 injured firefighters in action in Wiesbaden
Several injured firefighters were taken to hospitals as a precaution. Twelve of them were temporarily taken to clinics, but have since been released, according to a fire department spokesman. It is still unclear why the emergency services suffered irritation of the respiratory tract despite the breathing mask.
A total of 120 emergency services were on site, including the BASF works fire department in Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate), which specializes in chemicals. The fire alarm system at the factory in Wiesbaden triggered an alarm around 8 p.m. There is no information yet on the extent of the property damage.
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Large-scale operation in the paper factory in Wiesbaden
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