Firefighters thwart gas explosion

(JB) A warehouse was half destroyed along with thousands of euros worth of goods when a fire tore through the building on Sunday night.

Neighbours alerted firefighters after noticing strong smoke pouring from the metal processing building in Steinheim, near Rosport on the German border.

Emergency services were at the scene at around 9.20pm where they approached the fire with caution because of potentially hazardous gas cylinders stored inside the building.

Rescue workers eventually brought the blaze under control and located a number of hazardous gas cylinders in the warehouse using a thermal imaging camera. The cylinders were eventually cooled and rendered safe.

Among the material damage caused by the fire, warehouse officials say that several machines, including a forklift truck, were destroyed.

A criminal investigation has been opened by police to ascertain the cause of the fire.