A hazardous substance has escaped on an industrial site in the Mainz-Kostheim district of Wiesbaden. The fire brigade came with a large contingent and warned residents. 13 emergency services were injured.
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Large-scale operation in the paper factory 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. In one of the workshops in Wiesbaden’s Mainz-Kostheim district, for reasons that are still unclear, an auxiliary material for paper production had decomposed, as the emergency services said. Sulfur dioxide had leaked from a container with bleach.
There was a “massive smoke and temperature development”. 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. On Tuesday morning, after several measurements, 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.
13 injured firefighters
The fire alarm system at the factory in Wiesbaden triggered an alarm around 8 p.m. During the operation, 13 firefighters were injured, some of them suffering severe respiratory irritation. Twelve other people were taken to hospitals as a precaution.
A total of 120 emergency services were on site, including the BASF works fire department in Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate), which specializes in chemicals. There is no information yet on the extent of the property damage.
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