fire
Huge fire in Halle in Berlin-Marzahn
A warehouse with machine parts and paper caught fire in Berlin-Marzahn. photo
© Sappeck/BLP/dpa
A dark cloud of smoke rises over Berlin-Marzahn, and around 150 firefighters rush to the major fire. The affected warehouse cannot be saved.
A warehouse with machine parts and paper is in Berlin-Marzahn burned down. The hall on Wolfener Strasse caught fire in the morning over an area of 5,000 square meters, which had not yet been extinguished in the evening. The fire department expects to be busy extinguishing the fire on Friday, a spokesman said. Parts of the hall had collapsed, which is why many fire spots could not be reached and could only be extinguished from the outside.
According to the spokesman, a demolition company arrived in the evening with large excavators to clear away collapsed parts and clear the path. Firefighting should stop when darkness falls. Despite the many embers, the site is under control and there is no risk that the fire could spread further. The spread to an office extension could have been prevented.
At times there were up to 150 emergency services on site, in the afternoon there were still 60. The fire was visible from afar, and a dark cloud of smoke temporarily rose above the warehouse. The fire brigade primarily tried to protect neighboring buildings from the flames.
Two vehicles with turntable ladders were in use, and the situation was constantly monitored with a thermal imaging camera in a helicopter. “We will carry out further exploration throughout the day,” announced spokesman James Klein on RBB Inforadio. According to Klein, the fire was not yet completely under control around 8 a.m., but the situation was clear. The smoke has now turned white. There is no immediate danger to the population.
Warning apps were used to ask people to avoid the affected area. “Close windows and doors and turn off ventilation and air conditioning,” it said. “If the windows are kept closed, there is no direct danger to the population here,” said Klein. The scene of the fire is in an industrial area, there are only a few residential buildings on Wolfener Strasse, and the development is not as dense as in many inner-city areas.
It is still unclear why the fire broke out in the warehouse.