Obviously, the salvage of the burned-out truck causes difficulties because the partially burned lithium batteries flare up again and again. That’s why you have to be very careful, according to the police.
The fire may have been caused by the lithium batteries that the truck had charged. The autobahn has been completely closed in both directions between Alpen and Rheinberg since around 2 p.m.
According to the police, the truck driver noticed that smoke developed in the loading area while driving. Then he put the Truck on the hard shoulder and escaped from the vehicle.
Motorway closed in both directions
When firefighters arrived, the truck was fully engulfed. “The batteries flew at us like bullets”describes the action provider of the Alpen fire brigade, Michael Hartjes.
1,000 square meters of forest along the road were also on fire. The fire department was able to quickly bring the situation under control. The water supply was particularly difficult on the Autobahn, because the firefighters had to drive 12 kilometers to get supplies.
Truck parts fused with batteries
130 firefighters were deployed with the participation of the cities of Alpen, Rheinberg, Sonsbeck, Moers and Krefeld. The emergency services are currently busy with the rescue work, which is difficult. Due to the high heat generated, truck parts have fused to the batteries.
Odor nuisance in Kamp-Linfort and Rheinberg
In the Kamp-Lintfort and Rheinberg areas, the fire caused odor nuisance, but according to the fire department, the smoke was not harmful to health.