Truck Carrying Hazardous Materials Threatens to Explode – Village Evacuated

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• A truck carrying flammable hazardous materials has broken down on the German A8 highway due to a mechanical failure.
• According to a police spokesperson, it cannot be ruled out that the pressurized hazardous material containers could ignite and explode.
• The nearby town of Wiesensteig is currently being evacuated.
• The highway toward Munich is closed between Mühlhausen and Hohenstadt.

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A truck carrying flammable hazardous materials has come to a standstill on the A8 heading toward Munich near Wiesensteig in Baden-Württemberg due to a mechanical failure. The substance in question is organic peroxide, according to a police spokesperson. “It cannot be ruled out that the pressurized hazardous material containers could ignite and explode,” the Göppingen District Office also reported. Given the current weather conditions, this is expected to pose an immediate risk of a forest fire.

According to the local fire department, approximately 100 people are currently being evacuated from their apartments and homes in the town of Wiesensteig. They are being sheltered in a gymnasium, a fire department spokesperson said.

According to the police, after the malfunction, the fire department attempted to cool the vehicle but then decided against it. As a result, the highway toward Munich is closed between Mühlhausen and Hohenstadt. A detour has been set up.

Streetcar lines also blocked

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Removing the truck is currently not possible

As the Göppingen District Office further reported, fire department personnel maneuvered the malfunctioning truck from an area posing an immediate danger to the public to a parking lot in front of the Lämmerbuckel Tunnel. Removing the truck any further is currently not possible for technical reasons. A specialized company has been called in, and experts are to assess how the temperature of the hazardous substance is developing, a spokeswoman said.

A crisis management team has been set up at the fire department command center. At 5:30 p.m., an extraordinary emergency situation was declared for the municipalities of Hohenstadt, Mühlhausen im Täle, and Wiesensteig. Civil defense personnel have been called in to assist and, if necessary, provide medical care to people stuck in the traffic jam. According to the district administration office, approximately 250 emergency responders are on site.