Alert in the German city of Hamburg due to a cloud of toxic gases heading towards the center of the capital and that has led firefighters to declare the state of “extreme danger”.
The toxic cloud has been caused by a fire that broke out at dawn this Sunday in a warehouse and a car workshop from the Rothenburgsort district at the city harbor and 5 kilometers from the center.
So far they have been evacuated 140 residents of the affected areawhile the Hamburg police have asked the population to close doors and windows to isolate themselves, since the toxic cloud rapidly advances towards the center of the city.
Alert is maintained in the city
The warning from the German authorities applies to the entire center of Hamburg and practically to the outskirts, while alerting that there were dangerous chemical substances in the accident place. It is speculated that the fire would be expelling hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere.
“The center of Hamburg is completely in the dark,” confirmed a spokesman for the fire department, adding that at the moment an elevated reading for smoke gases and airborne chemicals has not been detected. Even so, the alert is maintained as the local Police has also confirmed on its website.
Meanwhile, some 200 members of the fire brigade continue trying to extinguish the fire with the help of respirators.
Due to the fire, the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has confirmed that the service between Hamburg and the town of Büchen has been suspended.