As of: February 27, 2024, 6:55 p.m
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Roman Poseck (CDU, r), Hessian Minister of the Interior, Security and Homeland Security, thanks volunteers in the multi-purpose hall in the Oberzeuzheim district.
© Sascha Ditscher/dpa
The danger has not been averted: around 740 residents of a district of Hadamar are not allowed into their homes until further notice because of a leaking gas tank.
An explosion highlighted the risk.
Hadamar - After an explosion and the collapse of a single-family home with one seriously injured person, there is still no end in sight to the operation surrounding a leaking propane gas tank in Hadamar.
Because the danger has not been averted, the authorities on Tuesday expanded the safety radius around the tank, which is located on company premises in the Niederzeuzheim district, by 100 to 400 meters.
Around 740 people are therefore unable to enter their apartments and houses for the time being, as Mayor Michael Ruoff (CDU) said in the evening.
There is also a daycare center and a school in the area.
It is still unclear how long the operation will last.
Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) took a look at the situation on site at lunchtime and thanked the emergency services.
“The most important thing is that more people don’t get hurt,” said Poseck.
So far this has worked well - apart from the case of the seriously injured person, "although that was also unreasonable," said the minister.
The deflagration occurred shortly after midnight.
The house, which is around 120 meters away from the company premises, collapsed.
The man, who, according to the police, had returned to the house against the instructions of the security forces, got off relatively lightly; he was not seriously injured, was able to free himself from the rubble and was responsive.
All that was left of the building was a pile of rubble, said a fire department spokesman.
Two firefighters were also slightly injured during the day, but were initially able to continue their work.
It was not initially clear whether the explosion in the house actually occurred in connection with the gas leak - but if not, "that would be a lot of bad luck all at once," said Ruoff.
The injured person was questioned; further details could not be given because they might be “relevant to the police”.
It was initially unclear what exactly caused the explosion.
According to a police spokesman, a crime scene group from the State Criminal Police Office will inspect the collapse site.
Despite this incident, the protective measures also met with dissatisfaction among those affected.
Ruoff said that people who did not want to leave their apartments and houses had complained on the specially set up citizen telephone, and the police were able to clarify this in each case.
Most of those affected were staying with relatives and friends.
In a multi-purpose hall in a neighboring town, 21 people are cared for and fed, and they also spend the night there.
The emergency services also looked after pets in the restricted area.
Meanwhile, gas was still leaking from the tank on the company premises that evening - even though it should have been empty by now.
Heavy icing on the tank means that devices on the tank cannot be read, said district fire inspector Frederik Stahl.
The focus is now on letting the gas flow out because other measures have not been successful.
Also because almost all emergency services are volunteers, reinforcements from other districts will probably be requested this Wednesday.
Because propane gas, which is used for cartridges for camping stoves, for example, is heavier than air, it can collect in depressions, cellars or even sewers, so appropriate measures must be taken to eliminate or dilute it.
“It’s a small piece of work,” said Stahl.
No progress was made with devices from the Frankfurt fire department, which had provided ventilation components.
Efforts are continuing to reduce the icing on the tank so that the gas can flow out.
Even outside the safety radius, the electricity in the town of 1,800 inhabitants was partly switched off in order to minimize the risk of explosion.
After clearing measurements, a decision can then be made as to when the area will be opened again.
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Until then, it's a matter of waiting - for example for André Meyer and his family.
After the father picked up his 13-year-old daughter Mia from school on Tuesday afternoon and took him to a multi-purpose hall that serves as an emergency shelter, the carpenter drove back to work.
The day before, they had to quickly pack up the most necessary things and leave the house, the two reported.
However, the family isn't worried about the house because it's on the mountain, "the gas doesn't climb that quickly," said the 46-year-old.
The previous day, several attempts to repair the leak that had occurred during maintenance work on the gas tank had failed.
Because the electricity had to be switched off, the gas could not be pumped so far, as Ralf Konermann from the Tyczka Group, a provider of liquid and industrial gas as well as hydrogen, said.
The reason for the leak is probably the “failure of a fitting”.
Gas bottles for household customers are filled on the company premises in Niederzeuzheim.
There has never been a comparable case to date, said Konermann.
The incident must now be dealt with; the extent of the damage cannot yet be estimated.
All tests on the tank were carried out according to regulations, the last one only around six months ago.
Poseck spoke of an impressive performance by the emergency services.
“I would like to thank everyone who is involved here.
The various emergency services work together around the clock and hand in hand,” he said.
Most of them are volunteers who do this in their free time, so to speak, and also expose themselves to danger, said the minister.
“And that is also a really great achievement here on site by everyone involved.” dpa