A fire at an industrial warehouse storing pool cleaning products in Vilanova i la Geltru, near Barcelona, has led to a significant emergency response. Authorities warned more than one hundred sixty thousand residents to stay indoors for nearly seven hours due to a toxic chlorine cloud released by the blaze. The fire began at dawn and prompted immediate action from civil protection services, who advised residents to keep windows closed.

At around noon, Catalonia’s interior minister Nuria Parlon announced the lifting of the lockdown measures while urging caution for specific vulnerable groups. Although the immediate danger has eased, authorities recommend that young children and individuals with health concerns remain indoors as some toxic particles could linger.

Firefighters deployed multiple units to manage the situation and are closely monitoring the gas column caused by the fire. No casualties have been reported so far, and emergency services secured the area by closing roads and halting train services. Warehouse owner Jorge Vinuales Alonso indicated that a lithium battery may have ignited the fire.

As operations continue, Vilanova’s mayor Juan Luis Ruiz Lopez expressed optimism that with the fire extinguished, the toxic cloud would disperse, allowing the full lifting of safety measures soon.