A large scrap fire at Køge harbour that broke out Saturday was still being extinguished Sunday morning, with smoke drifting across large parts of Zealand.
The fire started Saturday at a waste and scrap storage area on Nordhavnsvej in Køge, where the stone and gravel supplier NCC Industry A/S is located. DR reports that the blaze was expected to be fully out only during the course of Sunday morning.
Midt- og Vestsjællands Politi wrote on Politi Update shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday that smoke nuisance was strongly decreasing. Only after-extinguishing work remained, in which the burning scrap is pulled apart and small pockets of fire are put out. According to police, that work would continue for several more hours.
Duty officer Boye Rasmussen of Midt- og Vestsjællands Politi told Ritzau shortly after 5 a.m. that the smell was expected to reach Roskilde and drift over Ballerup and Bagsværd. He described the fire as very violent and difficult to extinguish, because car parts and other metal scrap can burn intensely.
Warnings to residents and institutions
Police advised people who could smell the smoke to close doors and windows. The advice applied in Greve and Solrød, as well as in Ishøj, Ballerup and Bagsværd. The recommendation still stood on Sunday morning.
Rasmussen said hospitals, hotels and similar institutions near Køge had been warned about the smoke, so they could close doors, windows and any ventilation. The fire service had requested everything that could be requested to fight the fire, according to police.
TV 2 added the police warning issued overnight that the fire could keep burning for hours and that the smell of smoke might spread further across Zealand. Ekstra Bladet reported the initial police call-out and described a large, black plume of smoke rising from the scrap pile at the harbour.
SN.dk reported that Køge Festuge told visitors there was no reason for concern while the fire continued nearby. The event was taking place in the city while crews worked at the harbour.
In its own updates, Midt- og Vestsjællands Politi placed the fire at an affaldsoplag at Nordhavnsvej 22 in Køge and said the smoke was drifting away from the area. The force added that there was no further information for the time being.
Cause still unknown
Police said it remains unclear what caused the fire. How it started will be investigated once the fire service has fully extinguished it. No information about injuries has been released.
Save up to 2,800 DKK on Your Electricity Bill
FindElpriser helps you switch electricity providers quickly and easily.
Køge is a harbor town on the eastern coast of Zealand, south of Copenhagen. Local authorities have not announced any further restrictions in the area, and the Køge Museum district lies away from the harbor site.
