Catalonia Chlorine Cloud: Toxic Threat Sparks Lockdown

A massive fire at an industrial site in Catalonia, Spain, caused a hazardous chlorine cloud, leading authorities to impose a lockdown for approximately 160,000 residents in the northeastern region. The fire broke out at a swimming pool cleaning products company located in Vilanova i la Geltru, 48 kilometers south of Barcelona.

Civil Protection services issued an urgent warning on social media platform X, advising residents to remain indoors to avoid the toxic cloud. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, though the blaze led to a temporary halt of train services and roadblocks as precautionary measures.

The owner of the industrial estate, Jorge Vinuales Alonso, told local media that the fire could have been started by a lithium battery. Despite the challenging nature of extinguishing chlorine fires, emergency services successfully managed to contain the blaze.

(With inputs from agencies.)