38 Hurt As Hamburg, Germany, World War II Bunker Burns

HAMBURG, Germany, Aug. 4 (UPI) — At least 38 people were injured Tuesday morning when a World War II-era bunker in Hamburg, Germany, caught fire.

The fire in the above-ground bunker, which has no windows and only two doors and is beneath a sturdy seven-story building in a residential neighborhood, caused a “blast wave” of energy that shattered windows and sent bicycles and other property flying through the air. The bunker was designed to hold citizens fleeing from World War II aerial attacks, but is now used as a carpentry shop and storage for 100 tons of mostly non-flammable plant oils.

The building is one of many in Hamburg built to sustain attacks and considered too difficult to demolish.

Injuries ranged from broken bones to smoke inhalation, and at least 12 of the injured were firefighters. Over 60 people were evacuated from nearby buildings.

“Vehicles and buildings are covered with black ash,” Hamburg Fire Department spokesman Thorsten Grams said. “It is a scene of devastation.”

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