Hamburg police warn of toxin threat, 140 evacuated

Police in the German city of Hamburg have warned locals of possible toxins in the air after a fire at a storage facility.

Some 140 people have been evacuated, and it is not yet possible to say how dangerous the situation is, a police spokesperson said.

Authorities said the fire was in Rothenburgsort, just a few kilometres southeast of central Hamburg, and that the smoke cloud was moving in the direction of the city centre.

The police spokesperson said the sky had darkened as a result but the weather made it difficult to determine how much was smoke and how much was clouds.

Police and fire authorities were currently assessing the situation, the spokesperson said.