Black cloud of smoke in Pasewalk: Fire department saves gas station customers!

Black cloud of smoke in Pasewalk: Fire department saves gas station customers!

On Monday afternoon, a pitch-black cloud of smoke rose over Pasewalk and put customers at a nearby gas station on alert. Three old car tires burned in an empty building on the western outskirts of the city, which brought the fire department to the scene. The fire chief Marco Freuer then informed about the incident on Tuesday. The emergency services were alerted to Am Silo Street at around 1:45 p.m. When the fire brigade arrived, heavy smoke was already visible, indicating a fire inside.

A team wearing heavy breathing apparatus immediately started fighting the fire. Thanks to the quick intervention, the fire was quickly brought under control. The operation was successfully completed after around 70 minutes. The good cooperation and quick action of an employee of the fire protection department of the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, who noticed the fire while refueling and immediately made an emergency call, prevented anything worse from happening. Overall, the material damage was limited, which is a blessing in disguise in such cases.

As is well known, the storage of tires represents a particular challenge for fire protection. Tires are not only made of rubber, but also of steel and textiles, with around 40% of the material being rubber. These properties pose significant fire risks. According to the new Model Plastic Storage Policy (MKLR), updated in March 2023, strict regulations are required to ensure safety in these storage spaces. The rapid and dangerous burning behavior of tires not only produces high intensities in fires, but also toxic smoke gases that can endanger both human life and the environment.

Fire safety requirements

The MKLR 2023 sets new standards for the storage of used tires and plastic waste and includes requirements such as dividing storage areas into fire compartments. These sections may be a maximum of 5,000 m² in size in order to limit the spread of fire. The amount of extinguishing water must also be at least 192 m³/h for two hours. This is particularly important because inadequate fire protection can lead to extensive property damage as burning tires release a lot of energy and the fire spreads quickly.

• Vorgaben der MKLR 2023:
• Unterteilung in Brandabschnitte von maximal 5.000 m²
• Löschwassermenge von mindestens 192 m³/h über zwei Stunden
• Einrichtung von Freistreifen von mindestens 10 m

Fire protection in tire warehouses is not only a legal requirement, but also an operational necessity to prevent accidents and environmental damage. Ignition sources such as electrical systems, battery chargers and even welding can cause unexpected fires. In order to ensure effective fire protection, it is important that tire warehouse operators offer regular training for their employees and draw up a fire protection concept. Smoke and heat extraction systems are also essential.

Overall, the incident in Pasewalk shows how crucial quick action and preventive fire protection measures are. This is the only way to avert further disaster in an emergency and to ensure the safety of people and the environment. The incident reminds us that each of us should have a good hand when handling potentially hazardous materials.

In summary, effective fire protection in tire warehouses is not only a legal obligation, but also an operational necessity. In order for this to be successful, innovative solutions such as artificial intelligence in fire detection and automated extinguishing systems can also be expected in the future. In order to operate fire protection effectively, the current challenges are not only technical, but also logistical.

For more information on this topic, we recommend reading the articles from Northern Courier, Safety engineer NRW and FeuerTrutz to consult.