In the craftsmen’s zone of Bozner Boden, a fire broke out in the warehouse of the company “Alpitronic” shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The warehouse is located on the site of the former “Zwölfmalgreien” fruit cooperative. According to initial information, the insulation material in the warehouse caught fire. Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang and a fire that developed within seconds.
“We will still be in action at night”
Around 100 firefighters responded: the fire was brought under control around midday and the flames were prevented from spreading to the Alpitronic production hall. The area was cordoned off. For safety reasons, several buildings also had to be evacuated, including the adjacent high school “Istituto Walther”.
Re-extinguishing work continued in the afternoon. “We will also be on duty at night,” said the Bolzano fire department in the afternoon.
No injuries
No one was injured in the major fire. The hall was closed due to renovation or conversion work.
Civil defense: Keep windows and doors closed
Although the major fire is under control, it was still important to keep the windows and doors closed in the early afternoon and not to turn on the air conditioning and ventilation systems. This applies especially to the low mountain ranges around Bolzano, Jenesien, the Ritten and Kohlern, because the smoke is currently spreading at this altitude, according to a civil defense press release.
At around 3 p.m., the state environmental agency announced that the air quality was hardly affected and that the air values did not show any major abnormalities.
Ash rain over Bolzano
The Bolzano fire department and the emergency call center received numerous concerned calls in the morning. Shortly after the fire broke out, an immense cloud of smoke settled over the city. Ash rain also fell on the city.
As it became known in the afternoon, there were problems with the population alert system. This only worked partially. Among other things, no warning push messages were received (read more details here).
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Ash rain over Bolzano.
Difficult operation – Two gas bottles on the roof
Firefighting water was also taken from the Eisack in order to have sufficient water reserves. The fire brigades fought the fire from all sides using turntable ladders. Due to the high heat, the operation was very difficult for the fire brigades, explains the main fire inspector of the professional fire brigade, Christian Auer.
“The structure is huge and there is a risk of collapse and explosion. The workers also told us that there are two gas bottles on the roof. We have now been able to recover one, the other is still there because we have not found it yet,” emphasized Auer in the morning.
Rai Tagesschau
Chief fire inspector of the professional fire brigade, Christian Auer.
Airspace over Bolzano closed
The airspace over Bolzano also had to be closed briefly due to the immense cloud of smoke.
Company boss Senoner: “Operations continue”
Alpitronic company boss Philipp Senoner was on site during the extinguishing work. He emphasized that nothing could yet be said about the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage. “We are waiting for the investigation,” explained Senoner when asked by Rai Südtirol.
Operations are continuing because the fire broke out in the warehouse, which is currently being converted and is therefore not used for business, he explains. “Research, production and the offices are not affected. The employees who work in the adjacent wing will now work from home, so they will be transferred to the home office,” said Senoner.
State Governor and Civil Protection Councilor Kompatscher: “Situation under control”
State Governor and Civil Protection Councilor Arno Kompatscher also took a look at the extinguishing work in the morning. “The fire brigade’s operation worked perfectly and the situation is now under control. It is important that there was no danger to anyone and that no injuries were reported. “In terms of air pollution, no dangerous substances were affected,” said Kompatscher.
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Due to the current weather conditions, the cloud of smoke rises vertically and therefore does not pose an immediate danger. There is also an all-clear when it comes to toxic gases: no batteries or chemicals were stored in the situation hall where the major fire broke out.
Environment Minister Pichetto Fratin: In contact with Bolzano authorities
The Roman Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin also found out about the fire in Bolzano from Rome. The facilities of the Ministry of the Environment are in contact with the government commissariat in order to receive constant information about the progress. The Ministry of the Environment also asked the population to adhere to the guidelines of the local emergency services.