Two-week-long silo fire expected to be extinguished within a few days
A silo fire at the Studstrup power plant north of Aarhus is expected to be extinguished within a few days, writes the East Jutland Police in a press release.
The fire in the silo containing 55,000 tons of wood pellets broke out on September 22 and has caused smoke nuisance for many citizens in the local area.
But now the fight against the fire is entering its final phase, says Kasper Sønderdahl, emergency director of the East Jutland Fire Department.
- We now have the opportunity to spray water into the silo with water cannons, and now we are doing everything we can to finish the work so that citizens can soon escape the major smoke and odor nuisance that the fire has caused, he says.
So far, water has not been sprayed directly on the wood pellets, as this involves a risk that the pellets will expand so much that the silo could collapse.
But in recent days it has been successful - including with a remote-controlled bulldozer loaned by The defense - to remove a large part of the wood pellets.
On Thursday, the police estimated that there were between 13,000 and 15,000 tons left in the tank.
This means that the fire department can now start spraying water directly into the silo with water cannons.
However, it is expected that it could cause a lot of smoke, according to the police.
Therefore, the fire department is waiting to start the water cannons until Saturday noon.
According to the forecasts, the wind here seems to blow the smoke out over the water.
On Friday, the status is that the smoke has moved into the areas around Studstrup, Havhusene and Gl. Løgten Strand.
The recommendation from the health authorities is that citizens with cardiovascular and lung problems find another place to stay until the smoke has cleared.
The Studstrup power plant supplies more than 100,000 Aarhus homes with district heating, which is produced using wood pellets.
/ritzau/
