German authorities have confirmed that 10 people suffered injuries as a result of a fire and a subsequent explosion at the Port of Hamburg on the afternoon (local time) of Monday, August 25.
Officials said the fire originated in one of the port's warehouses where a vehicle and some nitrous oxide canisters are also stored.
The resulting explosion then sent debris flying hundreds of metres and injuring a number of people. One individual has reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries.
The incident prompted officials to evacuate 25 people from the vicinity of the warehouse and to order the temporary closure of some areas within the port as well as the nearby A1 motorway due to the presence of debris.
Some of the evacuations needed to be done by boat as the flames had prevented access by foot to the unaffected areas of the port.
Over a hundred firefighters were eventually deployed to the scene, and the blaze was finally brought under control on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 26. An emergency response official said the presence of toxic gases had exacerbated the difficulty of extinguishing the fire.
Despite the fire and the damage, vessel operations in some areas of the port were not affected, according to local media.