Early this morning fire broke out at Ellerbrock Tread in Henstedt-Ulzburg. The 6,500 square metre production hall has fallen victim to the flames. There are approximately 200 firefighters on site fighting the fire and it is expected that it will take the whole weekend to bring the fire under control.

The highly visible column of smoke has caused the local fire brigades and police to ask local residents to keep windows and doors closed. The alarm was raised at 02:18 and upon arrival at 02:34 the building was already well ablaze.

The South Westerly wind had fanned the flames at an unbelievable speed to the whole of the surroundings. Dirk Rohmann said that despite the alarm being raised automatically the speed of the spread of the fire and the damage was unbelieveable. Managing Director Klaus Zimmermann said "I have never seen such a column of smoke before. The fire developped in the surroundings and workers tried to fight the fire when they discovered it. However it was an impossible task for them."

Henstedt-Ulzburg's mayor, Volker Dornquast said that the local population is alarmed by the level of the smoke and that danger cannot be excluded or determined at this stage.

According to the local radio station in Schleswig-Holstein damage is estimated to run to approximately 15 milion Euro. Marketing and sales director Dirk Rohmann stated at the factory gates in Hamburg that it was too early to state the extent of the damage but the local police were already investigating the cause.

The fire had damaged the production facility but only after the fire is completely extinguished will the full extent of the damage be assessed.

The fire is a big setback for Ellerbrock which was, so far, having an extraordinary financial year according to Dirk Rohmann. The management from parent company, Marangoni, were already en route to the factory to view the damage for themselves. They will also wish to clarify the extent of the damage and its effect on production and how the impact can be cushioned. Factories in Henstedt-Ulzburg and in Italy were operating at full capacity. Already business partners and even competitors had expressed their concern and offered assistance. However, until the fire is extinguished and there is nothing can be done, said Dirk Rohmann.

(www.tyrepress.com)