A large fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday
morning at the port of Ancona, Italy. The blaze originated in a warehouse and
spread, and firefighters worked on containment for 30 hours before finally
extinguishing it on the 17th.
Aerial survey video from Wednesday showed extensive damage
to two long rows of shed warehouses. The fire was substantially extinguished
Thursday, and firefighting teams mopped up by applying a blanket of
firefighting foam over the rubble inside the structures.
The origin of the fire is not yet known and investigations
are under way. Local media reports indicate that pressurized gas cylinders
exploded during the blaze, throwing debris far from the site.
According to Ancona Mayor Valeria Mancinelli, no one was
injured in the fire and it was contained by 1300 hours Wednesday. A dozen teams
of firefighters from around the region converged for the response operation,
and they were successful in preventing its spread to the many other nearby
businesses and structures.
Due to the smoke, the city declared a shelter-in-place order
for the elderly and for young children, and schools have been temporarily
closed as a precautionary measure. All city facilities will reopen Friday. The
exact composition and toxity of the emissions is not currently known, but
Mancinelli advised residents to be cautious about eating locally-grown produce
(which may have been contaminated by particulate matter) until the lab test
results are completed.
She identified the site of the fire as the former warehouse
of Tubimar Ancona SPA. The section of the site involved in the fire was used
for storing paints and solvents, and it was slated for future conversion into a
customs inspection facility, according to the port's public records.
The Port System Authority of the Central Adriatic Sea -
which governs the Port of Ancona - reported Thursday that it understands that
there were no toxic or dangerous materials stored at the site, based on
information received from the leaseholders.