German firefighters battled on Friday to control a fire which broke out at a metal technology factory in the southwest of the capital, Berlin.
Plumes of dark smoke could be seen rising from the complex, located in Berlin’s Lichterfelde neighborhood.
A technical room on the building’s first floor was “fully engulfed in flames,” a fire brigade spokesperson was quoted by the German DPA news agency as saying.
Diehl Metall, the company that owns the plant, had stored chemicals inside the building, prompting the fire brigade to issue a hazard warning as a precautionary measure. Residents nearby were advised to shut their windows and doors to protect themselves against the smoke.
No injuries were reported, according to the fire brigade spoksperson, though parts of the building have reportedly collapsed. More than 200 firefighters were on the scene, using extinguishing foam, the Berlin Fire Department said on X, formerly Twitter.
A school in the neighborhood was closed and pupils were sent home, the spokesperson told DPA.
Diehl Metall is a subsidiary of the German Diehl Group.
