As of: 04/09/2023 3:03 p.m
The Hamburg fire brigade responded to a major fire on Billstrasse in the Rothenburgsort district early on Sunday morning. Several warehouses were on fire, the plume of smoke could be seen from miles away.
According to the fire department, the fire broke out at 4:30 a.m. at a truck stop. There was a huge column of smoke above the fire, clouds of smoke moved towards the city center and the Alster. The firefighters wore respirators because of the heavy smoke. There were always detonations. In the afternoon, a spokesman for the NDR 90.3 fire department said: “The fire is under control.” He has hope that the fire can be completely extinguished in the course of the afternoon. The smoke development is noticeably decreasing and with it the odor nuisance for the residents.
More than 200 helpers in action
Six fire engines from the professional fire brigade, several volunteer fire brigades, the Technical Relief Agency and the police have gone to the scene of the fire – a total of more than 200 emergency services. Turntable ladders are also used to extinguish the fire. How the big fire came about is still unclear. According to initial findings, no one was injured.
Official warning updated
An aerial photograph shows the extent of the blaze.
In an official warning on Sunday morning, the fire and the smoke development were classified as “extreme danger”. The population could be affected “by smoke gases and chemical components in the air we breathe”. Residents in a large area in the north-east of Hamburg were asked to keep windows and doors closed and to protect themselves from the smoke. Air conditioning or ventilation should also be exhibited. At noon the official warning was updated and only classified as “hazard information”. According to the information, no elevated readings are currently being detected.
The interior authority sent the warning messages via the warning apps KATWARN and NINA. The cell broadcast warning system was also triggered. The fire brigade measures the pollutant load everywhere in Hamburg.
Impact on rail traffic
The Brandststätte is located near the Rothenburgsort S-Bahn station.
The Deutsche Bahn announced in the morning that the tracks between Hamburg and Büchen had to be closed due to the fire. According to Bahn, IC, EC and ICE trains between Hamburg and Berlin were diverted and delayed by around 90 minutes. The IC and ICE trains between Hamburg and Rostock were canceled. In the afternoon, the railways reported that train traffic on the affected routes was starting again. However, subsequent delays are to be expected.
Local transport is also restricted by the fire service. The S-Bahn Hamburg closed the route between Berliner Tor and Billwerder-Moorfleet in both directions because of the fire brigade operation. A replacement traffic was set up according to the information.
Police initially alerted to a minor fire
In the early hours of the morning, the police were alerted to a small fire. However, because there were initially problems with the water supply, the fire was able to spread. Large pumps were later used to fetch the water for the extinguishing work from several hundred meters away.
