FLASH
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A powerful fire broke out today in a factory of the industrial company Diehl Metal, reports the German newspaper Bild.
The disaster mobilized at least 170 firefighters in an industrial area located west of the German capital, Am Stichkanal street in the Berlin-Lichtefelde district.
A video posted by Berliner Zeitung editor-in-chief Tomasz Kurianowicz shows the building engulfed in flames and black smoke billowing into the air.
The wind, which blows in a northerly direction, causes plumes of black smoke to rise above the Berlin region. The smoke may contain, according to Berlin fire department spokesman Adrian Wanzel, quoted by Bild, sulfuric acid and hydrogen cyanide that were stored in this metal processing plant, including the 2,000 m² building, which burned in at least four floor and collapsed.
Firefighters have intervened from outside, with specific protective suits, he added. The site has been fully evacuated and no injuries have yet been reported among the factory workers.
However, one firefighter suffered discomfort due to the intense heat caused by the fire. The population of Berlin was alerted late in the morning to the spread of a potentially toxic and therefore dangerous smoke cloud, and a large area near Berlin was asked to curtail and close windows. The districts affected are Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Spandau and west of Reinickendorf.
Berlin firefighters posted a map on Twitter showing the area where the smoke is likely to spread, along with safety instructions for the public. According to German television RBB, the fire broke out in a technical room on the first floor of the construction site. Students from nearby schools locked themselves inside, waiting for their families to come get them.
The manufacturer of the IRIS-T system supplies Ukraine
Diehl Metal has its headquarters at this address, but there is also a branch of Diehl Defense there, Berliner Zeitung specifies. This German conglomerate has several branches, including one dedicated to the arms industry. It notably produces the IRIS-T SLM air defense system, considered the heart of NATO countries' strategic thinking in Europe, and which Germany is handing over to the Ukrainian military to defend against Russian attacks. According to the specialized information site Oryx, Germany has already delivered 12 IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine since October 2022, and 22 rocket launchers. Therefore, this defense system is one of those that have been supplied in the largest quantities by Kiev's Western allies.
These missile batteries are also at the heart of the European missile defense project, called the European Sky Shield, led by Germany and in which 19 countries participate, creating a basis for the joint public procurement of air defense systems for partners Europeans. Last December, the Euractiv agency reports, Slovenia bought two IRIS-T SLM systems, for an amount of at least 200 million euros, according to the Slovenian daily Delo.
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