Firefighters in southwest Berlin are extinguishing a large fire in a production hall where dangerous chemicals are stored. The authorities therefore https://twitter.com/Berliner_Fw/status/1786360688903880978 residents to close windows and turn off air conditioners. The fire, the cause of which is not yet known, caught the attention of the Ukrainian media, as the operation of the Diehl Metal Applications company is on fire. The latter is part of the Diehl group, which also includes the manufacturer of the Iris-T air defense system, which Germany provided to Ukraine attacked by Russia.
180 firefighters battled the flames in Berlin’s Lichterfeld district in the afternoon, but they still had the fire under control late in the afternoon, the DPA agency reported. “In addition to extinguishing the fire, we are continuously measuring the air in the city and at the scene of the incident. As is usual with large fires, avoid smoky areas,” the firefighters said.
According to DPA, a huge cloud of smoke formed over the western part of the German capital and firefighters warned of possible health risks. According to firefighters, copper cyanide and sulfuric acid were stored in the affected hall, and hydrogen cyanide may have formed. Health-threatening substances were measured in the immediate vicinity of the fire, but according to the fire department’s information so far, no one was injured.
A spokesman for Diehl Metall said according to DPA that, according to his information, no health-threatening load was measured and the mentioned chemicals were present in the plant only in small quantities.
A nearby gymnasium was closed, students were sent home, but graduations continued behind closed doors, DPA reported. Local residents were warned via WarnApp and asked to close their windows. According to DPA, a warning message on mobile phones warned of “extreme danger”. “After evaluating the weather conditions and the corresponding wind direction, the smoke gases from the scene of the incident are moving in a northerly direction,” the firefighters said.
Within a few hours, the fire engulfed the entire multi-story building and parts of it collapsed. The Berlin firefighters also called colleagues from the airport to help, as well as firefighters from the Bayer concern with chemical experts. By late afternoon, the fire was not yet under control, but the smoke cloud had diminished and no flames were visible from the outside, firefighters said.
The fire was noticed by the Ukrainian media because the Diehl Defense division, which produces Iris-T systems, is also part of the Diehl Group. “The plant of the company that produces Iris-T systems is on fire in Berlin,” wrote the Ukrainian agency Unian. Russian media also reported on the fire at the factory.
The fire does not concern the Diehl Defense division, but according to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the arms division of the group has its own branch.
Tags: VIDEO hall company #Diehl group caught fire Berlin connected #supply weapons Ukraine
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