Hydrogen sulphide in smoke from warehouse fire caused evacuations in Hamburg

A large fire in a warehouse in Hamburg has lead to 140 residents being evacuated on Sunday due to chemicals in the smoke.

“Smoke gases and chemical components in the air caused by a warehouse fire can affect breathing. The cloud of smoke is moving towards the city center!” an alert from the Hamburg fire department said, according to CNN.  

Some 140 people have been evacuated, a police spokesperson said, according to Reuters. According to local news outlet NDR, local residents have been instructed to close their windows and doors.

“The inner city of Hamburg has gone completely dark,” a fire department spokesperson said, quoting the outlet

Deutsche Bahn, which is Germany’s national railway company, said trains between Hamburg and the nearby town of Büchen were suspended due to the incident.

According to Euronews, the fire broke out around 4:30am in the Rothenburgsort district, located in the eastern part of the country's second-largest city. Several warehouses were on fire, and the smoke could be seen from miles away.

Public broadcaster NDR said the fire involved containers with hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and foul-smelling substance. 200 firefighters from the Hamburg fire brigade had brought the situation under control by early Sunday afternoon.