German Electroplating Plant Damaged by Intense Fire

About 200 emergency personnel responded Wednesday evening to a fire that swept through an electroplating plant in Varensell, Germany.

Firefighters managed to confine the fire to the 6,000 square-meter production hall and out of the adjacent warehouse, Die Glocke Online reports. Staggering heat of more than 800 degrees Celsius Nearby residents were asked to close their windows and doors.

Requesting mutual aid from surrounding communities, firefighter mustered three turntable ladders and three water cannons to mount an external attack on the fire, a fire brigade spokesperson reports. Water from ten C-pipes was also used.

Firefighters gained control of the fire within two hours of arriving on scene.

After the fire, suction vehicles were brought in to collect the fire water runoff and any chemicals it might contain. One media source reports that pools of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids burned during the fire.