Major fire burns 20 tonnes of batteries at Premnitz warehouse
Around 20 tonnes of batteries caught fire at a recycling warehouse in Premnitz, Brandenburg, prompting a fire department warning over smoke, officials said.
Also in:Deutsch
A fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at a recycling company's warehouse in Premnitz, in Brandenburg's Havelland district, burning around 20 tonnes of batteries, a fire department spokesperson said, according to Tagesspiegel.
About 50 firefighters were at the scene when the alarm was raised, with reinforcements called in because of the size of the blaze; around 150 firefighters in total were expected to help tackle the fire once they arrived, the fire department said.
The fire department issued a warning through Germany's Nina emergency app over smoke and odour from the fire, advising people in the area to avoid it and keep windows and doors closed, Tagesspiegel reported.
No one was injured, the fire department said. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, and officials gave no timeline for when the blaze would be fully brought under control.
The warehouse belongs to a recycling company, and the batteries involved were being stored there before the fire broke out, the fire department said. Firefighters remained on site working to contain the blaze and stop it spreading to neighbouring buildings, bringing in extra water supplies and equipment to sustain the operation.
Fire crews from across the wider region were drawn into the response once the scale of the blaze became clear, with the number of firefighters on site set to triple as reinforcements arrived, the fire department said. Officials did not detail the size of the warehouse or how the fire started, focusing their public statement on the number of personnel responding and the precautions residents should take rather than ordering an evacuation.
Brandenburg's Havelland district, west of Berlin, is home to several industrial and recycling sites, and local fire services there regularly draw on support from neighbouring brigades for large blazes, the fire department said.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Stern, Tagesspiegel +1 A fire burning around 20 tonnes of batteries broke out at a recycling warehouse in Premnitz, Brandenburg, in the early hours of Thursday, the fire department said.
- 1 outlet · Stern About 50 firefighters were at the scene, with reinforcements bringing the total to around 150.
- Official · Feuerwehr The fire department warned residents via Germany's Nina app to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed because of smoke and odour.
- 1 outlet · Stern No one was injured; the cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Battery fires can release toxic fumes and are difficult to extinguish, which is why authorities issued a public warning covering the wider area around Premnitz rather than just the site itself. The scale of the response, with reinforcements tripling the number of firefighters at the scene, points to how difficult containing a blaze of this size has been for local crews.
Premnitz lies in Brandenburg's Havelland district, and a fire of this scale drawing in reinforcement crews from the surrounding area shows the strain such industrial fires can place on regional emergency services.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 1 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What caught fire in Premnitz?
- Around 20 tonnes of batteries at a recycling company's warehouse, the fire department said.
- Was anyone hurt?
- No. The fire department said no one was injured.
- What warning did authorities issue?
- They warned residents via Germany's Nina emergency app to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed because of smoke and odour.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.