(MENAFN- AzerNews) A poisonous cloud is hanging over Berlin after a chemicalfactory blaze, with firefighters warning deadly hydrogen cyanidecould develop, Azernews reports, citing DailyMail.
Firefighters said sulphuric acid and copper cyanide were storedat the plant and the chemicals ignited, which could create hydrogencyanide.
People were warned to close all windows, stay inside and switchoff ventilation units after the fire hit the firm. The state ofBerlin has issued an official danger warning and urged people tostay away from the area as the cloud of smoke is already spanningover nearly all of the western area of the city.
The blaze is at Diehl Metal Applications in Berlin'sLichterfelde district, which is a sister company to the DiehlDefence concern, manufacturer of the deadly IRIS-T missiles.
Diehl Defence has its headquarters on the same street as theburning building. Diehl Metal Applications reportledy operates itsown electroplating system for refining metal surfaces in thebuilding that is on fire. 'The building is now completely burnedthrough on four floors. Part of the building has alreadycollapsed,' Adrian Wenzel, spokesman for the Berlin fire departmentand on site at the scene of the fire, told German tabloid Bild. Headded: 'We are only trying to put out the fire from the outside fire can no longer be brought under control from theinside.'
Local outlet Berliner Zeitung reported several detonations beingheard on site. There are currently 190 firefighters at the site,wearing protective suits. Students and teachers from nearby schoolshave been sent home as a precaution and several shops in the areahave also closed. There is no currently no information available onthe cause of the fire, but the spokesman for the fire departmentsaid there have been no injuries reported. The operation to get thefire under control is expected to last into the night afterfirefighters have been struggling to bring it under control sinceit broke out around 10.30am local time. Parts of the building havereportedly collapsed.
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