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Whitsun weekend offers sunshine and traffic jams

The Whitsun (Pfingsten) long weekend should be glorious, with clear skies and temperatures of 20 to 27 degrees Celsius predicted for most of Germany, national weather service the DWD reported on Friday.

Whitsun weekend offers sunshine and traffic jams
Photo: DPA

Showers should stay away, with a small possibility of light drizzle in the south on Monday, and although the west is expected to see the highest temperatures, a large high-pressure front should guarantee warm weather throughout the country.

There should even be a cool breeze in coastal and mountain areas to offer some relief from the heat.

Many Germans are expected to take advantage of the balmy conditions and head away for a short break, so some traffic on the roads is inevitable.

Routes heading south are expected to be busy, with the German Automobile Club (ADAC) warning of delays for those travelling to Austria, Switzerland and the Italian lakes.

Those on the way north to soak up the sun on the North Sea or Baltic coasts should fare better, but popular coastal roads may see heavy traffic, an ADAC traffic expert told The Local.

There’s better news for international travellers as many connections between Germany with eastern Europe have been improved, as have several main roads in the Czech Republic and Serbia.

The ADAC said travellers should either head off early on Saturday morning, or wait until Sunday afternoon, when the roads are expected to be at their quietest.

Whitsun vacationers should also beware of the possibility of forest fires. Although the wind is expected to drop over the weekend, a warning remains in place on account of the exceptional dryness. The alert level is current at its highest rating in Saxony and Brandenburg.

Below is a list of the routes expected to be particularly congested, according to regional newspaper the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger:

• A 1 Köln – Bremen – Hamburg – Lübeck

• A 3 Köln – Frankfurt – Nürnberg

• A 5 Frankfurt – Karlsruhe – Basel

• A 6 Mannheim – Heilbronn – Nürnberg

• A 7 Würzburg – Füssen

• A 8 Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – München – Salzburg

• A 9 Berlin – Nürnberg – München

• A 19 Wittstock – Rostock

• A 24 Berlin – Hamburg

• A 81 Stuttgart – Singen

• A 93 Inntaldreieck – Kufstein

• A 99 Umfahrung München

DWD/The Local/jpg

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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.

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. 

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.”

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

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. 

According to a fire and rescue spokesperson, no injuries have been reported. 

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

The authority has 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. 

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

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

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. 

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