Major operation in Stellingen: 27 injured after chlorine dioxide leak!

Major operation in Stellingen: 27 injured after chlorine dioxide leak!

On Sunday morning, November 10, 2025, a major fire department operation in Stellingen made a name for itself. At 7:30 a.m., 130 emergency services responded to an incident in a food processing plant on Kronsaalsweg. The alarm was raised after employees complained of eye and respiratory irritation.

When the fire department arrived, it quickly became clear that a chlorine dioxide solution may have escaped. A total of 27 injured people were identified, including two seriously injured. Ten affected people had to be transported to local hospitals while the affected area was thoroughly ventilated and then handed over to the owner. Thanks to the fire brigade's careful course of action, something worse was prevented.

Deployment of the fire brigade and safety standards

This operation highlights the importance of safety standards in companies. According to the requirements of DIN 14090, which has defined applicable requirements for fire brigade access since it was amended in February 2024, companies must ensure that their areas are freely accessible to the fire brigade. Fire engines must be able to reach the source of danger quickly - a fact that is impressively underlined by the current incident.

DIN 14090 describes, among other things, the minimum requirements for access, installation areas and movement areas for fire engines. This includes that the height and width of fire brigade access routes must be at least 3.5 meters. It is crucial that the adjacent components are fire resistant and that there are no obstacles more than one meter high in the way.

The importance of standards

The new requirements according to DIN 14090 are not just dry formalities, but are crucial for the safety of employees and emergency services. The need for wide access roads and the correct signage in accordance with DIN 4066 – for example signs saying “Fire department access” – quickly becomes a lifeline in emergencies. Installation areas must also have a load capacity of at least 800 kN/m². All of this ensures that firefighters can work under optimal conditions.

The deployment in Stellingen illustrates how important careful planning and implementation of these standards is in companies. In the hectic pace of an emergency, it is essential that fire engines can drive up unhindered. Therefore, every company that could be confronted with such situations should exercise good hand in planning their fire areas - the safety of everyone involved is at stake. Anyone who pays attention to this can help ensure that there are less dramatic deployments like the current one.