second30 hours after a serious accident in the Gräfenhausen-Ost rest area on the A5 motorway between Darmstadt and Frankfurt Cruz, the air still smelled of fire. Although the vehicle is driving in four lanes on the highway, the rest area is surprisingly quiet.
As many as 190 firefighters fought the fire 24 hours ago and did their best to protect the storage tanks and rest area buildings, and now an excavator is being removed piece by piece from the charred roof structure. Shortly before 7 o’clock in the morning on Monday, the petrol pump that a car hit was completely destroyed, and the other petrol pumps were destroyed by flames. You can see their internal organs and a lot of molten metal. This gives the concept of heat caused by fire. The two burned vehicles have been removed.
She had to go into the evening Firemen The roof structure was extinguished on Monday, and a 1.5-kilometer hose was used to fetch water because there was only one fire hydrant in the gas station area. On Tuesday night, the rest stop was still on duty. just in case.
Buildings can be saved
The fire brigade fired the roof in a controlled way and tried its best to rescue the building from the flames. Here and there, a piece of glass shattered and soot scattered in it, but nothing else happened to the building. Several chairs were placed not far from the fire, and boxes of drinks were placed in front of them. The first responders are already resting here.
Alexander Burkel arrived during the fire. The project manager of Polygonvatro in Magstadt was commissioned by the operator Tank und Rast to repair the fire. First, the rubble must be removed, he told FAZ. Then you can start refurbishing. According to Burkel, what exactly needs to be done and how long the fuel tank and rest area will remain closed is open.
The driver brakes dazedly
Appraisers and insurance representatives will come on Friday to understand the extent of the damage on site. Burkel estimates that gas stations and rest areas will be closed for at least a year. It is currently impossible to estimate what this means for truck drivers who spend the night there.
Since Monday, the highway has been closed. However, the driver braked on the highway time and time again to check the damage. Constant horns indicate that there are always dangerous situations caused by witnesses. This is why Burkel and his men want to quickly erect stable site fences and privacy barriers around the facility. Then there is no chance for bystanders. Some people also come to the rest area through forest trails to check the damage, but keep their distance.
