Dark smoke rises from a factory in Neukölln. © Paul Zinken/dpa
A powerful column of dark smoke can be seen over Berlin, the fire brigade moves out for a large-scale operation. The fire in a warehouse causes a lot of excitement.
Berlin - A major fire in a warehouse in Berlin-Neukölln startled many people in the capital on Wednesday evening: On the one hand, a huge column of dark smoke could be seen over the city. On the other hand, many received an official danger warning with a loud sound on their mobile phones.
According to the fire brigade, large quantities of paper were stored in the hall in Lahnstraße. According to a spokesman, the building burned to its full extent on about 5000 square meters. According to him, people were not in danger. Contrary to initial fears, no adjacent buildings were affected.
The fire brigade arrived at the large-scale operation with around 120 forces and numerous vehicles. As the spokesman explained, they could not enter the burning hall. Rather, they tried to extinguish the flames from several turntable ladders and with the help of equipment similar to water cannons. In the evening, the situation at the scene of the fire was under control, according to the emergency services.
Via Twitter, the fire brigade called on the population to avoid the scene of the fire and to keep access roads clear for emergency vehicles. Nevertheless, according to a dpa reporter, many onlookers came to observe the scenery and film it with their mobile phones.
Many mobile phone users received the official warning issued by the fire brigade about an hour after the start of the operation via the Nina app and via the Federal Office for Civil Protection. Specifically, there were warnings of heavy smoke and odor nuisance in southern districts of the city because of the fire.
Even before that, the mighty dark column of smoke over Neukölln could be seen from several districts of Berlin. Photos of it were posted on social networks, and a number of users expressed concern. Dpa
