FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Police in Hamburg, Germany, warned people to close their windows Sunday morning after a massive fire at several warehouses sent a billow of black chemical smoke over the city.
The fire started at around 4:30 a.m. in the Rothenburgsort district, in the eastern part of Germany’s second-largest city, according to the German news agency dpa.
The smoke drifted from there to the city center and paralyzed long-distance trains between Hamburg and Berlin and other cities.
A public safety alert communicated to cell phones through an app recommended people in Hamburg close windows, turn off ventilation and air conditioning, and avoid the area. No injuries were reported.
The fire affected containers of hydrogen sulphate, a toxic and unpleasant-smelling substance, forcing firefighters and police officers in the area to wear breathing apparatus, according to NDR public television.
