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🇩🇪 Germany /Disasters & Emergencies

Major scrapyard fire in Leer under control after heavy smoke

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • A fire at a scrapyard in Leer, East Frisia, was under control on Friday morning, with a small firefighting team remaining at the scene.
  • About 250 personnel responded after the blaze broke out in a pile containing cars and large containers, while air readings showed elevated pollutant levels.
  • Authorities said measured concentrations did not exceed thresholds for a health hazard, and the cause remained unclear.

A scrapyard fire in the East Frisian city of Leer sent thick smoke and an unpleasant smell across the area before firefighters brought it under control.

A police spokesman said early Friday that only a small number of firefighters remained at the site. The operation could end during the day, after which investigators are expected to examine the scene and determine how the fire started.

Around 250 personnel from several organizations took part in the response. The forces included hazardous-material units and the plant fire brigade from Meyer Werft in Papenburg. The fire broke out late Wednesday evening at the grounds of a waste-disposal company, in a scrap pile containing cars and large containers.

Police asked residents to keep windows and doors closed, including people in the neighboring Ammerland district and the city of Oldenburg. Measurements found elevated levels of pollutants in the air, but police said the readings did not exceed limits considered dangerous to health. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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