A warehouse caught fire in Durach near Kempten in the Allgäu on Tuesday night. A police spokeswoman said two people had been treated for suspected smoke inhalation. In the end, however, no injuries were found. According to an initial estimate, the investigators assumed the damage would be in the millions. Around 150 firefighters responded to the fire.
According to the Oberallgäu district office, the fire was under control on Tuesday afternoon. However, residents of the district of Oberkottern, which borders directly on Kempten, were also asked to avoid the area if possible, to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off ventilation and air conditioning systems. Since it could not be ruled out that the smoke sometimes moving in the direction of Kempten contains substances that are hazardous to health, the district office commissioned experts from Munich to take air measurements. On Tuesday afternoon, however, they did not find any air pollution, the authority said. As a precaution, the warning for residents was initially not lifted.
According to the police, the fire caused such heat that the residential buildings in the surrounding streets were temporarily cleared during the night. The residents were housed and cared for, it said. In the early morning, the majority of people were able to return to their homes. Due to the extinguishing work, water contaminated with extinguishing foam got into the Durach river on Tuesday, the district office said. As a result, several fish died in a small section of the body of water. The extinguishing water is currently being collected and examined. The Durach should therefore not be entered for the time being. The cause of the fire initially remained unclear. The police have started investigations.