Explosions spark huge fire in Italian port, no casualties

An image grabbed from a video taken and handout on September 16, 2020 by the Italian Vigili del Fuoco fire and rescue service, shows firemen aiming hoses towards burnt warehouses after an important fire broke out overnight in the port area of Ancona. – Sixteen teams of firefighters were engaged on site, and no victims or injured were reported so far. The Municipality has closed as a precautionary measure all schools, universities, parks and outdoor sports facilities. (Photo by Handout / Vigili del Fuoco / AFP)

ROME, Italy Explosions and a huge fire ripped through the port area of the Italian city of Ancona early Wednesday, destroying warehouses and lorries, but there were no casualties, firefighters said.

The flames created vast mushroom clouds of smoke in the city on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

The explosions sparked the fire shortly after midnight. The blaze was under control Wednesday morning after the intervention of 16 firefighting teams, the fire service said on Twitter.

It was not yet clear what caused the explosions.

Warehouses in the area were likely to have stored flammable liquid, according to Rai news, which said there was a company nearby that produced liquid nitrogen, as well as a power station and methane plant.

As the smell of burning filled Ancona, the capital of the Marche region, the council said it had “temporarily ordered closed all schools, the university, the parks, open-air sports facilities”.

© Agence France-Presse

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