Firefighters tackle blaze at German science research centre

DARMSTADT, Germany - Around 130 firefighters were battling a blaze on Feb 5 at a scientific research centre in southwestern Germany that a spokesperson for the facility said originated in the power supply for a particle accelerator.

Local television images showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in the city of Darmstadt.

“The site was evacuated, there are no injuries, and no hazardous materials were released,” the GSI spokesperson said.

The fire was caused by a short circuit in the high-voltage supply for the accelerator, the spokesperson added.

Another spokesperson for the centre earlier told journalists at the site that the fire had damaged cables, electrical equipment, and office furnishings.

Heavy ion accelerators concentrate positively charged atoms into beams and propel them at extremely high speeds within magnetic fields.

The centre’s website says the facility is used by international researchers “to gain insights about the building blocks of matter and the evolution of the universe”.

That research contributes to the development of new applications in technology and medicine, including the treatment of cancer, it said.

Particle accelerators can pose safety hazards, as they emit ionising radiation during operation, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

A radiation protection officer, however, told Reuters they had not been called into action.

Residents living near the facility were asked to keep doors and windows closed and to turn off their ventilation systems as a precaution.

The operation to extinguish the blaze is expected to continue until late on Feb 5, a fire brigade spokesperson said at the site.

The GSI spokesperson said the fire had caused damage to the institute’s existing system, but a construction site for a new facility remained unaffected. The cost of damages from the fire was not yet known. REUTERS