Deflagration triggers major fire alert in Heuchelheim, Germany

A fire with a deflagration at a company site in Heuchelheim, in Germany's Gießen district, triggered a large emergency response and a smoke warning across the district on Saturday afternoon, police said. No one was injured.

Authorities warned residents of the whole Gießen district by app and radio to close windows and doors and switch off ventilation and air conditioning because of heavy smoke; the warning was lifted later in the afternoon, broadcaster hessenschau reported.

Drivers were told to avoid the area, and the last road closures in Heuchelheim were lifted later that afternoon. Firefighters searched the building to establish the cause, and a police spokesman said the fire was suspected to have been caused by a technical fault, though this has not been confirmed.

Police could not yet say how much damage the fire caused, according to hessenschau and WELT.