Berlin Christmas market evacuated due to fire
In the evening, a hut catches fire at the Christmas market on Berlin's Alexanderplatz and the flames spread to the neighboring stall. The fire department was able to prevent worse.
The Christmas market on Alexanderplatz in Berlin has been evacuated and closed early after a fire. One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries after two stalls went up in flames in the evening, a police spokesman said. The injured person is believed to be the operator of one of the wooden stalls that caught fire. According to the "Bild" newspaper, he is said to have sustained burn injuries while trying to extinguish the fire. Another person also suffered slight smoke inhalation.
According to Bild, the police turned off the power while the fenced-in Christmas market was cleared. During the extinguishing work, two small gas cartridges exploded. Referring to the incident commander, the "Berliner Zeitung" writes that the fire broke out at around 20:15 in a hut where pictures were being painted. When the fire department arrived, the stall next to it was also on fire. "The fire has been extinguished", the Berlin fire department announced via X around half an hour later. "The scene is under control!"
Pictures show that the flames are several meters high and thick clouds of smoke are billowing across the square. The cause of the fire is unclear and investigations are only just beginning. The market is due to reopen tomorrow, Wednesday.
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The international community expresses concern over the increasing number of fires at Christmas markets across Europe, with Berlin's incident being the latest. Despite the efforts of the fire department, the holiday spirit was disrupted by the fire at Berlin's Christmas market, causing damage to several stalls.
Source: www.ntv.de
