BERLIN, May 3. /TASS/. Firefighters in Berlin are working to put out a fire that engulfed a metal processing plant of the Diehl Group, the industrial conglomerate producing IRIS-T air defense systems, the Bild newspaper reported.
The plant called Diehl Metal Applications produces alloys, pipes and other steel products. Diehl Defense Chief Executive Officer Helmut Rauch visited Kiev in April as part of a German delegation and announced additional deliveries of IRIS-T SLM systems to Ukraine.
The Diehl Group also makes ammunition and communications systems.
Four stories of the Diehl Metal Applications plant have been completely gutted by fire and a part of the building has collapsed, the Bild reported.
"We are extinguishing the fire just from the outside. It is no longer possible to bring the fire under control inside," said Adrian Wenzel, a spokesman for the Berlin fire department.
Wenzel said the fire in the building burned chemicals that were stored there, such as sulfuric acid and copper cyanide. Rescue crews at the scene are wearing hazmat suits.
The smoke cloud is moving to the north. The fire department advised people to avoid the area around the plant, shut windows and doors, turn off ventilation and air conditioning. Berlin officials have issued an official danger notice. Students and teachers from surrounding schools have been sent home.
Berlin police cordoned off the burning building and are using loudspeakers to warn people about the danger of poisonous gases in the air, according to a TASS reporter at the scene.
There is no clue about the cause of the fire at this time. There are no casualties, the Bild reported.