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The fire at the port of Basel-Rhine made the headlines on Friday. The gigantic column of smoke obscured the sky above the city "like a storm," as one journalist wrote. The most important facts about the fire
Fire at Kleinhüningen
What exactly burns?
For reasons that have not yet been clarified, old railway sleepers, stored by Rhenus Logistics at the port, caught fire. These are SBB wooden sleepers, which have been treated with tar oil. Also lit are garbage that has been stored next to them. The authorities have not yet made any statement about the cause of the fire.
"Close the windows!" Was warned. Was the smoke toxic?
According to the measures of the fire department, there was no danger to the population. Because of the stench, he was asked to close the windows. The measuring vehicle was only later in the afternoon on the spot. However, in a 2014 document quoted by the Tageswoche newspaper, CFFs note: "Old railway sleepers must be disposed of in a waste incineration plant. The burning of old wooden railway sleepers or open-air thresholds (…) is prohibited because it causes very toxic gases due to the low combustion temperature. The police also warned with a megaphone against toxic fumes. However, the prosecution said in its communication that there was no danger to the population.
The prosecutor informed Basel City of the harbor fire (https://t.co/vaqRjiAdyP). According to the firefighters' measurement team, it was found that there was no danger to the people. #policeiBS #rescue #hafen #brand
– Police and Rescue Basel-City (@jsdBS) 27. July 2018
Only after three hours has been given the all-clear. Why did it take so long?
The photos of the smoke column over the port of Basel quickly spread to the web on Friday. Even after 20 minutes, minutes after the outbreak of the fire shortly after 14 hours reached many pictures of readers. But it takes nearly three hours for the media and therefore the public to receive reliable information about the event. Until then, contradictory information circulated. On Twitter, several insecure Basler wrote to the Department of Justice and Security, but did not provide any answers. Quite unlike the German authorities, as criticized the "Basel BZ".
Fire with smoke in the port of Basel. Police and Rescue Basel-City recommends bypassing the area and closing the windows. #kapoBS #rescue #brand #hafen
– Police and Rescue Basel-City (@jsdBS) 27. July 2018
Competent authorities have not yet commented on their communication of the event.
Does the toxic swell disappear from the harbor?
According to Rhenus Logistics spokesperson, the company does not want rail traffic to give up. She will now analyze what can be optimized in the future, said Claudia Bracher at Telebasel. As she explained, it was not clear how long the sleepers would stay in the harbor. A date of disposal did not exist. The storage has been discussed with the authorities and Rhenus respects all directives.
(lha)
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