Schkopau

Schkopau, Germany – A fire⁣ at ‍the Schkopau power plant in ​the Saale district of Saxony-Anhalt⁢ is now under control, though 50 firefighters remain on site searching for embers in coal dust as of Friday morning, according to District⁣ Fire Chief Marcus Heller. The fire,which began as a ‌smoldering incident in Block A⁢ on Thursday morning and escalated into an open fire around​ 2:30 p.m., required a peak deployment of 170 firefighters.

The difficulty in extinguishing the blaze⁣ stemmed from the combustible coal dust, necessitating the use of large amounts of foam. While‌ the cause ‍of the fire remains unclear, power plant ⁢spokesman​ Torsten Höpfl ​confirmed it is indeed contained to the brown coal power plant site and is unrelated to the nearby Dow chemical plant.‍ No injuries have been reported, and employees ​and local residents‌ were⁣ not at ⁣risk.

The⁢ schkopau power plant,⁤ operated by Saale Energie,​ was taken offline for ⁢safety reasons. Plant manager Enrico Munder stated it is indeed currently uncertain ​when operations ⁤will resume, but assured the regional electricity ⁢supply is not threatened, with power being sourced from other facilities. The Saale⁣ Energie website experienced disruptions beginning Thursday evening and remains inaccessible.

Schkopau Power Plant Offline After Fire; Firefighters Continue to Douse Embers

SCHKOPAU, Germany ‌- A fire broke out at ​the Schkopau power plant in⁢ Saxony-Anhalt on Thursday, forcing the plant ‍offline and‍ prompting a large-scale response from emergency services. The fire, which began as a smoldering blaze in Block A around 2:30 p.m., escalated into an ⁢open fire, according to Kraftwerk spokesman Torsten Höpfl.

As of late Thursday night, approximately 170 firefighters – including⁣ company personnel and crews from surrounding communities like helfta and Leipzig – were working to extinguish remaining embers in the conveyor belt area, within the block itself on multiple levels, and ​around the coal bunker.District Fire Chief Marcus ‍Heller explained ⁤that coal dust is complicating efforts, necessitating the use of large amounts of foam.

“the actual fire has been extinguished,” ⁢Heller stated, “Though, the ⁢emergency services are particularly busy extinguishing embers…”

The rescue service and the Red Cross are also on⁣ scene.Authorities report no injuries to employees or nearby residents.The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The power plant’s​ website, Saale Energie, experienced disruptions during the evening.

Power plant manager Enrico Munder confirmed the plant was taken offline as a safety precaution, with a ​return to⁣ operation uncertain until Friday.However, Höpfl assured the ‍public that the regional electricity⁣ supply is secure, as power is being sourced from othre plants.

Plant officials also dismissed rumors linking the fire to the nearby DOW chemical⁣ plant, clarifying that ‌both facilities are ⁤located​ on separate sites ​within the Schkopau⁤ industrial‌ area.

The Schkopau power plant, the largest ⁢in Saxony-Anhalt, typically​ processes up to five million tons of lignite annually⁣ from the Profen open-cast mine, generating electricity and process steam for both residential ‍and industrial ⁣use‌ in central ​Germany. The plant operates two blocks and is slated for decommissioning in⁣ 2034.