Massive fire that blackened Hamburg still burning 27 hours later

HAMBURG – Some 27 hours after it started, a large fire that destroyed several warehouses and covered the port city of Hamburg with black smoke has still not been extinguished, a police spokesman said yesterday.

Operations to put out the blaze are expected to continue throughout Monday, he said.

The cause of the fire and the value of the property damage remain unknown, the spokesman said. 

There were no casualties in the blaze, reported German news agency dpa.

Early on Sunday, a warehouse complex of a car dealer in the Rothenburgsort district on the Elbe River caught fire after a blaze initially ignited on vehicles, washing machines and other stored goods outside.

Several so-called intermediate bulk containers that held flammable liquids then burst into flames.

The enormous smoke cloud generated from the blaze drifted toward Hamburg’s city centre and covered the city with a black cloud, prompting warnings from local authorities about the fumes. Local and long-distance traffic in the east of the city was restricted for several hours. – Bernama, April 11, 2023