Over 200 people have been evacuated after a fire broke out at a petrol station in Wroclaw, south western Poland.
Seventeen fire brigades are trying to put out the fire of an underground container with 6,000 litres of liquid petroleum gas
“The fire operation is very difficult and it will take at least ten hours,” said Pawel Fratczak from the fire service. “The firemen have not managed to close a valve and stop the flow of LPG so it is impossible to extinguish the fire. Instead, firemen are cooling the container in order to prevent an explosion,” said Fratczak.
Over 200 people, who live within a radius of one kilometer from the station, were evacuated. “First we evacuated only those who live in the close vicinity of the station but later we decided that the whole area is in danger,” said Fratczak.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. It is possible that the valve got damaged as a result of a significant temperature fluctuation. (mg)