27 firefighting vehicles of the fire brigade and 100 men in action: traffic jams and building blocks, probably no casualties.
A fire in the shopping center Donauzentrum in Vienna-Donaustadt led Saturday morning to a large-scale operation of the fire department. As a spokesman for the professional fire brigade just before 7.30 clock announced that was level three alarmed. There were 27 vehicles and about 100 men in action. Persons are likely to have come to first insights no harm.
The Landespolizeidirektion Vienna warned Saturday morning from heavy traffic obstructions by the fire: “Because of a fire service operation, the Wagramerstraße is blocked from the city of Wintzingerodestraße,” it said. “The traffic is locally derived. Siebeckstraße is not passable in this area.”
From the building rose a yellowish-white-brown smoke. According to the fire department, the color of the smoke does not indicate that toxic substances or chemicals have caught fire. Rather, the fire has little oxygen.
The tram line 25 had to stop for the time being in both directions, at 08:00 clock it came already to traffic jams. According to eyewitnesses, the strong smoke over the Danube center was also visible from a distance.
According to the fire brigade, the operation was tricky because gas cylinders in the building had to be brought to safety. The fire had broken out of previously unknown cause in the new part of the Danube Center near the intersection Wagramerstraße – Siebeckstraße. The fire brigade used 27 fire engines as well as three aerial ladders and two cranes. The goal, for the time being, was to open a tin roof.
The professional fire brigade has also brought several propane gas bottles to safety during use. These were stored in the building affected by the fire. Fire Department spokesman Jürgen Figerl said that by 8:30 am the bottles were no longer “in the hot area”. The spokesman continued, “There is no more danger.”
At 8.40 clock violent flames hit from the roof of the Danube center. The fire brigade was in place with more than a hundred men and tried to open a tin roof via a “telescopic mast platform” and with heavy equipment such as gas, saws to reach the source of the fire.
The source of the fire may have been on the second floor of the Donauzentrum. There are no shops, but offices. Among other things, a law firm is located there. There has been construction work in this part of the building for some time. It was not excluded that the background of the cause of the fire was also due to this. Firefighter Figerl According to the fire may have been cast for a long time.
As the KURIER learned from a speaker of the Donauzentrum, according to initial findings, only the component between U-1 station Kagran and bridge were affected. This remains locked until further notice.
Even the so-called Donauplexx remains temporarily suspended, although it was apparently not directly affected by the fire.
The rear part of the shopping center with branches such as Interspar, C & A and Saturn is not affected and will also be open on today’s Saturday, according to the current state.