The Barcelona Firefighters are working to extinguish a fire in the freight container terminal waiting to board the ferries in the port of Barcelona. The fire has caused a huge column of black smoke that has been visible from throughout the city and since early afternoon it has been in the extinguishing phase. 10 crews have been sent to the scene, in addition to the Firefighters’ boat, which has pumped water from sea to land. There are no affected people and a good part of the extinguishing work has focused on containing the fire, Barcelona City Council has reported.
The fire, of which the causes are still unknown, broke out in a field belonging to the Grimaldi shipping company, very close to the Europa Bridge, in the port’s ferry terminal, which has forced a company ship to be moved. Port sources explain that a truck that transports containers has caught fire, which in port jargon is called a tractor.
The burned containers are those that transport goods and are waiting to be shipped on ferries that have regular lines with the Balearic Islands, Italy or North Africa. On social media, several witnesses have reported explosions, which may have been from the burning truck itself.
The Port Authority, which has activated the Interior Emergency Plan, explains that the truck fire on the esplanade of the ferry terminal does not affect dangerous goods and that firefighters are working to prevent more containers from burning than those that have already been affected by the fire. A ship tries from the sea to put it out.
The Barcelona Fire Department received the fire notice after 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, stating that it involved three freight containers. Of the 10 supplies sent, three are tanks, three water pumps, an ambulance, a ladder, two vehicles with support equipment and two command vehicles. More than an hour after the warning, work was still being done to extinguish the flames and contain the fire.
