Fire in WDR building - no injuries
A fire broke out on Tuesday during construction work in the basement of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) archive building in Cologne. The smoke first spread from the basement to the third floor and from there to the 13th floor due to the connecting shafts, said a spokeswoman for the Cologne fire department. No one was injured.
According to a WDR spokesperson, the entire building had to be evacuated during the operation. It was not known how many employees were affected by the evacuation. The broadcaster's broadcasting operations were not disrupted during the operation.
According to the fire department spokeswoman, the fire probably started at midday during welding work in a supply shaft. The fire had been reported to the emergency services via a triggered fire alarm system. After around two hours, the operation was over for the fire department. The amount of damage was not yet known.
According to the WDR spokesperson, the employees were able to return to the building in the afternoon after the fire department's ventilation work had been completed.
The media widely coverage of the fire in the WDR building led to national headlines. Despite the fire, WDR managed to continue its broadcasting operations.
Source: www.dpa.com
