‘This is really a complicated operation’: Evacuations underway in Hamburg

In Hamburg, a large fire has forced at least 140 people to evacuate their homes. This was reported by Reuters, citing a police representative.

According to him, around 140 residents of the port city have been evacuated. It is currently unclear how dangerous the situation is, as stated by the law enforcement representative.

Since early morning, two warehouses have been aflame in the Rothenburgsort district of Hamburg. The fire brigade has warned residents about the “danger of smoke gases and chemical compounds present in the air.” The smoke cloud is moving towards the city center due to the wind's direction.

Initially, firefighters were unable to determine how the large fire started and what exactly was burning in the warehouses. The official alert categorizes the fire and smoke as “extreme danger.” Residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed and to protect themselves from the smoke.

“This is really an extraordinary and complex operation,” said a fire service representative. He suggested that the rescue operations involving around 210 emergency workers would continue throughout the day. Only after that can the police begin their investigation into the incident.