Toxic chlorine cloud forces 160,000 to stay indoors in major Spanish tourist hotspot after industrial estate fire
A toxic chlorine cloud has forced around 160,000 people into lockdown across parts of Spain popular with tourists.
Authorities warned that a blaze at an industrial warehouse selling pool cleaning products had released the gas over the Catalonia region.
The fire started at around 2:20am in Vilanova i la Geltru, a coastal town 30 miles south of Barcelona, and caused a huge plume of chlorine smoke over the area.
Locals and tourists received an urgent alert on their phones telling them to stay indoors and not their their homes as firefighters battled the flames.
Around 160,000 people in five towns were affected by the lockdown on Saturday morning.
'If you are in the zone that is affected, do not leave your home or your place of work,' the Civil Protection service posted on social media site X.
No one was injured in the fire, Catalan emergency services said.
'It is very difficult for chlorine to catch fire, but when it does so it is very hard to put it out,' the owner of the industrial property, Jorge Vinuales Alonso, told local radio station Rac1.
The fire started at around 2:20am in Vilanova i la Geltru, a coastal town 30 miles south of Barcelona, and caused a huge plume of chlorine smoke over the area
He said the cause of the fire might have been a lithium battery.
Trains which were due to pass through the area were held up, roads were blocked and other events were cancelled.
The lockdown order has now been lifted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Huge blackout hits Brit holiday hotspot leaving tens of thousands without power after ‘turbine failed'
A MASSIVE power outage has left a Brit holiday hotspot completely dark. Outages began around 5:30pm and were first detected in homes and offices on the island of La Palma. 2 The isle was left completely dark by the massive outage with the whole island affected and tens of thousands of residents left without power. It is thought the outage was caused by the tripping of a generating turbine. An estimated 50,289 users across the island were left without power as a result of the huge failing. Previous outages have hit the island's major cities with the biggest, Los Llanos de Aridane, left dark in recent months. Power is reportedly still out on the island with restoration efforts underway. Authorities have instructed residents to stay calm as they work to restore power to the island. It comes after a series of blackouts have hit the island in recent months. Santa Cruze de Palma, Los Llanos de Aridane and El Paso have all experienced recent power outages. The latest of these, on May 8, left the power out for hours and affected several of the eight municipalities in La Palma. Today's outage has been the worst of the recent blackouts with power out across the whole island and tens of thousands of users affected. The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres said: "I send all my support to the people of La Palma." He went on to promise that power would be restored as soon as possible. 2
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Canada wildfires: What's the latest?
In recent weeks, emergency services in Canada have been battling hundreds of wildfires across the country.A number of provinces have been impacted including British Columbia, Alberta and thought that more than 30,000 people living close to the affected areas have been moved to wildfires have also caused poor air quality and visibility in neighbouring America and smoke has been seen as far away as Europe. What's the latest? More than 200 fires are currently burning in the country, with over 80 of them considered out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire majority of those fires have been reported in British Columbia, on Canada's west have said that continued hot and dry conditions throughout the province have resulted in an increase in Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced that he would be sending the military to assist the emergency services move local residents and help fight 30,000 people across the country are thought to have been evacuated so far this year. The fires have also affected the air quality in parts of Canada and the United from the wildfires has even reached as far away as say that most of the ongoing fires this year have been caused by human activity - often accidental - such as campfires which haven't been put out properly or the passing of vehicles in extremely dry reason has been an increase in so-called 'zombie fires'. What is a zombie fire? Zombie fires happen as a result of called zombie fires as they seem to come back from the a wildfire has been extinguished on the surface, some of it can still burn below ground in fires can continue to burn all through winter, hidden under a layer of snow, and in spring as the temperature rises, the snow melts and the soil dries out, the wildfires can re-ignite and spread once again. Have the wildfires affected the UK? This weekend saw skies in some parts of the UK turn a hazy orange because smoke from wildfires burning more than 4,000 miles away in Canada made it across the Atlantic to sit in the skies over the UK. The presence of wildfire smoke from North America over the UK does occasionally happen during the summer to BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor, the layer of smoke in our atmosphere meant that blue skies in the evening and morning have taken on more of an orange or milky white appearance. The Sun has also appeared as a distinct orange disc, leading to unique sunsets and here in the UK, the smoke is at too high an altitude for it to affect our air quality.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Holidaying Brits warned ‘don't drink beer' in Spain as 42C African heat plume strikes – map shows scorched resorts
BRITS holidaying in Spain have been warned not to the drink the beer amid a scorching 42-degree heatwave from Africa. Areas of the country roasted under extreme heat over the weekend - and the balmy temperatures look set to stay. 6 6 6 Some spots were so hot the state forecaster, Aemet, was forced to issue weather warnings. Yellow and amber alerts came into force on Sunday - with Sevilla, Cordoba and Jaen in the south worst affected. Emergency guidance was issued to tourists and locals alike advising them on how to stay safe when it's sweltering. One suggestion likely unpopular with Brits on their hols was to avoid alcohol, because it has a dehydrating effect on the body. The advice is to drink water often, even if you're not thirsty, and avoid both alcohol and caffeine. It was also recommended to "dress smart", which means wearing loose-fitting clothes - particularly cotton or linen if possible. Lighter colours reflect the sun so can help you to stay cool. Another point is to simply stay indoors during times of peak temperatures, and certainly to avoid any strenuous activity under the sun. The authorities also issued a reminder about the signs of heatstroke, so people know when they need to find help. Fatigue, dizziness, headaches, confusion and nausea are all common symptoms of heatstroke which, in severe cases, can be fatal. Houses should be shuttered up during the day, it was advised, but and vents opened at night to allow a cooling airflow. And finally, people were urged to keep a close eye on anyone vulnerable. The elderly, people with chronic illnesses or those living alone are particularly at risk of heat-related complications, so communities were encouraged to work together to check in on them. There was a special mention for tourists, who are more likely to end up in hospital during heatwaves than seasoned locals. The culprit behind the immense heat was a plume of hot air which blew over from north Africa. Once it reached Spain, the air stayed hot thanks to clear skies and atmospheric stability, Aemet explained. Monday was predicted to bring more of the same the heat, with some areas again expected to top 40 degrees. The thermometer is predicted to remain high through this week, and above average for the rest of June. And there is also expected to be less rain than usual, meaning it will be dry all round for the country. However, there could be a temporary let-up from localised mid-week storms in the northwest and centre of the country. This follows a particularly hot May, with many locations seeing record-breaking temperatures - particularly in southern and western areas of Spain. 6 6 6
