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WEATHER

Two killed as storm front batters Germany

Two people were killed, several people injured and thousands more had their electricity cut after a storm front causing hundreds of thousands of euros of damage battered Germany on Wednesday night.

Published: 23 June 2011 08:49 CEST
Two killed as storm front batters Germany
Photo: DPA

A 57-year-old woman drowned when her canoe overturned on Lake Constance near Radolfzell in the storm, while a 77-year-old woman was crushed to death by a strawberry stand which collapsed on top of her. A five-year-old girl was also seriously hurt when a branch torn from a tree smashed into her family’s car in Heidenheim.

Roofs were torn up and cellars were flooded with rainwater as drains were blocked by leaves and other debris while winds ripped up trees and pushed them over.

In the Rhine-Main area, traffic ground to a halt because of the heavy rain, with drivers stuck on the A5 motorway for 25 kilometres near Bad Homburg. The fire department in Frankfurt was called out around 30 times to pump out flooded cellars.

Bavaria was hit with hail storms which caused further damage. One man was seriously hurt after a tree crashed down on a garden hut in Riedering. He was taken to hospital by helicopter.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

Several boats ended up floating around on the Chiemsee after being torn from their moorings. One farmer in Bamberg had terrible luck with the roof of a machine hall being torn off by the wind, which destroyed his newly installed solar electricity generation system worth around €200,000.

The Berlin fire department declared an emergency for around 90 minutes, putting 23 volunteer fire services on alert, as more than 130 weather-related calls were answered. These included fallen trees blocking train lines and electricity cables resulting in disruption on the connections to Dresden and Frankfurt an der Oder.

Around 50,000 households were cut off from electricity in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg after a number of pylons were brought down by the storm. Even late into the night around 21,000 houses were still blacked out, while it remained uncertain when supply might be restored.

The A4 motorway near Schorba in Thuringia was closed in both directions due to fallen trees while the heavy rainfall made driving treacherous. One woman was seriously injured in Baden-Württemberg when a silo collapsed in the storm and hit her.

DAPD/hc

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BERLIN

Warning of toxic smoke after fire breaks out at Berlin factory

More than 180 firefighters wearing protective suits were on Friday tackling a major blaze at a metal technology firm in Berlin's Lichterfelde area as authorities warned of toxic smoke.

Published: 3 May 2024 16:35 CEST
Updated: 3 May 2024 18:08 CEST
Warning of toxic smoke after fire breaks out at Berlin factory

The blaze broke out in the first floor of metal technology factory ‘Diehl Metal Applications’ on the Stichkanal in Lichterfelde, south-west Berlin around 10:30 am.

On Friday afternoon, a fire brigade spokesperson said an area of over 2,000 square metres was on fire in the four-storey building.

As of 5 pm, the fire was reportedly still not under control.

According to the spokesman, the fire had spread to the roof, with parts of the building collapsing.

As the company also stores and processes chemicals in various quantities, there are concerns over harmful fumes in the smoke. 

“We can confirm that chemicals are also burning in the building,” said the fire service. “Sulphuric acid and copper cyanide were stored there. There is a risk of hydrogen cyanide forming and rising into the air with the smoke.”

Hydrogen cyanide is a highly toxic substance.

The Berlin state government said that residents “in the affected areas of the toxic fumes caused by the fire” were warned through the NINA warning app at midday.

People walk in the area near the fire in Berlin on Friday. Residents have been urged to stay inside and keep their windows closed.

People walk in the area near the fire in Berlin on Friday. Residents have been urged to stay inside and keep their windows closed. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

The Berlin fire department also said on X that people in a large area of Berlin and the outskirts, shown on the map in this tweet, should keep their windows and doors closed, turn off air conditioning and avoid smoky areas. People have also been asked to avoid the area. It includes a large part of the Grunewald forest. 

In the immediate vicinity, hazardous substances had been measured. According to a fire and rescue spokesperson, no injuries have been reported. 

A spokesman for Diehl Metall, to which the plant belongs, said on request that the chemicals mentioned were also only kept in small quantities at the plant.

According to the Diehl spokesman, the location is used for electroplating parts for the automotive industry. The Diehl Group is a large arms company; however, no armaments were produced at the Berlin plant, Nitz said.

Emergency response authorities requested the help of the in-house fire brigade from the firm Bayer, which is familiar with fighting against chemical fires, Berlin newspaper Tagesspeigel reported. 

Which areas are most affected?

Pupils and teachers from nearby schools have been sent home as a precaution, while several shops around the site have closed. 

On Friday afternoon, a warning message popped up on many mobile phones with a shrill sound, according to which there is “extreme danger”.

“After evaluating the weather conditions and the corresponding wind direction, the flue gases move from the scene of the incident in a northerly direction,” the fire department told the German Press Agency (DPA).

Flames seen at the fire in Berlin's Lichterfelde on Friday.

Flames seen at the fire in Berlin’s Lichterfelde on Friday. Shops around the area closed. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

According to the fire department spokesman, however, it was not initially clear at what distance the smoke could still be hazardous to health.

Parents of students at the Fichtenberg-Gymnasium in Steglitz received an e-mail stating that classes had been stopped and all students had been sent home. However, the local Abitur or end of school leaving exams continued with the windows closed.

Surrounding roads were closed while flames leapt into the sky, according to a DPA reporter on site.

A neighbouring supermarket was completely enveloped in white smoke. The surrounding area is a mixture of commercial area, allotments, housing estates and shopping centre. According to eyewitnesses, the smoke appeared to be heading north.

The fire department published a map on which the affected areas are marked. Parts of Spandau, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Reinickendorf, among others, can be seen. People should avoid the affected area and drive around it as much as possible, the fire department suggested. Even if no smoke is visible, windows and doors should remain closed and ventilation and air conditioning systems should be switched off, it said.

In the immediate vicinity of the fire, the police made announcements with a megaphone and called on people to leave the streets, go home and keep windows closed.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. 

With reporting by DPA, Paul Krantz and Rachel Loxton.

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