A fire broke out on Friday morning, May 3, in the premises of a metallurgy company, Diehl Metal Applications, in Lichterfelde, a district in the southwest of Berlin.
A fire department spokesperson told German press that 2,000 square meters and all four floors of the building are on fire, adding that parts of the building have already collapsed. The disaster, the causes of which are unknown, caused no injuries. Images posted on social networks show the size of the fire and an immense plume of smoke.
Firefighters have confirmed that sulfuric acid and copper cyanide are in the building and that the fire can only be extinguished from the outside with foam, to prevent hydrogen cyanide from forming and diffuses into the atmosphere. More than 170 firefighters were deployed, wearing protective suits to protect against toxic chemicals. After assessing the weather conditions and wind direction, the smoke moved from the factory to the north.
In a message on social networks, the firefighters advise avoiding the area around the business, closing windows and doors, and turning off the ventilation and air conditioning. The population was invited, through various alert applications, to follow these instructions. Students and teachers from surrounding schools were sent home.
Diehl Metal Applications is a subsidiary of the German Diehl group, based in Nuremberg. Another subsidiary, Diehl Defense – which develops the IRIS-T air defense system – also has an office on the street.
According to its website, Diehl Metall presents itself as “a leading company in classic metal processing and at the same time offers a dynamic product portfolio in the field of progressive future technologies.”
