Status: 04/10/2023 08:06 a.m
Because of the major fire that broke out on Sunday morning in Billstraße in the Rothenburgsort district, the Hamburg fire brigade is still on duty today. Several warehouses were on fire, the plume of smoke could be seen from miles away.
The fire in the warehouses in Rothenburgsort is under control, but not completely extinguished. It’s still smoking heavily on Billstrasse. Hardly anything is left of the warehouse complex, many buildings have collapsed. Around 30 firefighters worked in shifts throughout the night.
Debris obscures the source of the fire
Because the rubble covers large sources of fire, heavy equipment has to be used. The fire brigade and technical relief organization use excavators to uncover the sources of the fire – only then can they be extinguished. According to the fire department, the operation will continue well into the day.
videos
Official warning still applies
Because there are still odor nuisances due to the heavy smoke, the official warning from the interior authority furthermore. Accordingly, the affected area should be avoided. Residents should also keep windows and doors closed.
In an official warning on Sunday morning, the fire and the smoke development were initially classified as “extreme danger”. The population could be affected “by smoke gases and chemical components in the air we breathe,” it said. The official warning was updated on Sunday afternoon and was only classified as “hazard information”. According to the information, no increased pollutant readings were found in the city area. The interior authority sent the warning messages via the warning apps KATWARN and NINA. The cell broadcast warning system was also triggered.
The cause of the fire is still unclear
An aerial photograph shows the extent of the blaze.
How exactly the fire started is still unclear. The fire brigade was first called to Billstrasse on Sunday at around 4.40 a.m. because of a burning car. Then the fire could spread quickly, apparently because there were problems with the water supply and the wind was unfavorable. Within a very short time, several warehouses were fully engulfed in fire. There were always detonations. There was a huge column of smoke above the site of the fire, clouds of smoke and ash were blown towards the city centre. The firefighters wore respirators because of the heavy smoke. Nobody got hurt.
Six fire engines from the professional fire brigade, several volunteer fire brigades, the Technical Relief Agency and the police took part in the firefighting on Sunday – a total of around 220 emergency services. Turntable ladders were also used to extinguish the fire. According to the fire department, a hostel near the scene of the fire was evacuated. 39 people were housed and cared for at the fire academy in Billbrook.
Impact on rail traffic
The Brandststätte is located near the Rothenburgsort S-Bahn station.
The train traffic was affected for hours because of the fire. Deutsche Bahn announced on Sunday 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 up to 90 minutes. The IC and ICE trains between Hamburg and Rostock were canceled. On Sunday afternoon, the railways reported that train traffic was restarting on the affected routes. However, subsequent delays are to be expected.
S-Bahn trains are running again
Local traffic was also restricted by the fire service. The Hamburg S-Bahn blocked the route between Berliner Tor and Billwerder-Moorfleet for several hours in both directions due to the fire brigade. The road closure was lifted on Sunday afternoon. Early Monday morning, the S-Bahn announced that S-Bahn trains would stop at Rothenburgsort again.
