Today's Edition
STUTTGART (DPA)
A huge fire at Stuttgart's wholesale market was largely brought under control on Saturday after burning for more than 16 hours, with authorities estimating the damage could run into the tens of millions of euros.
Firefighters in the south-western German city said the operation was complicated by the risk of partial building collapses, while final extinguishing work was expected to continue into the evening.
No injuries were reported.
Police said the damage could amount to at least a double-digit million-euro sum.
Criminal investigators have launched an inquiry and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
According to Stuttgart Markets, the fire affected a large covered section of the wholesale complex, including traders' premises.
Parts of three adjacent halls were also damaged.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the buildings because of safety concerns and fought the blaze from outside for several hours.
The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) used excavators to demolish parts of the warehouse structures, while a structural engineer was called in to assess the site.
The fire broke out on Friday evening from a cause that remains unknown.
It was initially unclear what goods were stored in the affected halls.
The wholesale market, located on the banks of the Neckar river, is home to more than 100 importers and wholesalers supplying fresh produce, flowers and other goods to hotels, restaurants, and commercial customers.
The market describes itself as Germany's third-largest trading hub for fresh products.
Operators said large parts of the site had reopened and resumed business on Saturday morning.
"Although the material damage is considerable, we are very relieved that no one was harmed," managing director Thomas Lehmann said in a statement.
"The fact that we were able to resume parts of market operations just a few hours after the incident is thanks to the professional cooperation of everyone involved."
Fire officials described the blaze as an extraordinary event and said Stuttgart had not experienced a fire of comparable size in recent years.
More than 200 personnel from the fire brigade, the German Red Cross and the THW were deployed overnight.
Many were relieved on Saturday morning as crews gradually contained the flames.
