A fire broke out in the St. Gallen waste-to-energy plant on Tuesday followingnoon. Images from a news scout show plumes of dark smoke billowing from the facility, which is northwest of the city. The flame was also visible, as video by a news scout shows.
As the news scout told 20 minutes, firefighters were quickly on site. The canton police and the St. Gallen city police as well as the medical and fire brigade were on site with a large contingent.
According to the St. Gallen cantonal police, there was a fire report on the site shortly following 2:50 p.m. A component of the emission control system, which was being demolished and out of service, caught fire for unknown reasons. The fire was quickly brought under control. “Despite the cloud of smoke that was visible relatively far away, there was never any danger to the population,” said Florian Schneider, spokesman for the cantonal police in a press release.
Two workers who were near the fire had to be taken to the hospital by the emergency services on suspicion of smoke inhalation. The exact cause of the fire is being clarified by the forensic competence center of the St. Gallen canton police.