Fire spreads from conveyor belt to boiler house at Berlin's Moabit power plant

Berlin's fire brigade mounted a major operation on Friday after a fire at the Moabit combined heat and power plant on Friedrich-Krause-Ufer. According to a fire service spokesperson, a conveyor belt burned that morning at a height of 22 metres. The belt carries wood residue to a storage area and runs between two halls. It was extinguished from the outside.

The fire then spread inside the boiler house to a wood storage container at heights of up to 30 metres. By late morning the blaze was under control, the spokesperson said. In total, 106 firefighters took part in the operation.

A smoke cloud could be seen from far away, but residents were not in danger. All plant employees got themselves to safety without help, and no injuries were reported. The plant was not operating when the fire started, so there was no interruption to supply, the fire service said.

Friedrich-Krause-Ufer and Putlitzstraße were closed for a time. Berlin's traffic information centre said on Bluesky that the operation ended around midday and the closures were lifted. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

There had already been a separate fire on the plant's grounds in the night to Monday. According to the fire service, the power plant itself was not affected then, and firefighters mainly extinguished materials in the outdoor area.