Two people have been arrested today after a refugee camp housed in Düsseldorf’s major international trade fair ground burst into flames.
People have been housed in vacant exhibition halls of the colossal trade centre since September 2015, but now hall 18 has been “completely destroyed”, according to statements by fire crews, reports the Rheinische Post.
Hall 18, which was normally used for storage and staging by trade centre operator Messe Düsseldorf, was understood to house 160 people. However, at the time of the emergency today the fire brigade actually evacuated 282 residents, most of whom were men.
Approximately 24 individuals have received treatment for smoke inhalation today, and two people have been arrested in connection with the blaze. Although German media reports it is still not clear what exactly caused the fire, a spokesman for the fire service told press that it spread too fast to have been down to a technical fault with the building, such as bad wiring.
A fire fighter had to be treated for exhaustion as he was overcome by the heat of the fire.
The Düsseldorf exhibition centre is the site of dozens of major conferences and trade fairs every year. DRUPA, the international print media fair, is presently ongoing at the centre but hasn’t been evacuated thanks to the distance between their exhibition hall and Hall 18.
Original story sourced from: http://www.breitbart.com
