Smoke tornado over Aschaffenburg: major fire in the disposal hall!

Smoke tornado over Aschaffenburg: major fire in the disposal hall!

Today, on August 14, 2025, a fire in a hall of a waste disposal company in the Damm district of Aschaffenburg caused great excitement. The fire was reported at 9:10 a.m. with paper, plastic and wood waste stored in the building. The Aschaffenburg fire department was on site with an extensive operation and used, among other things, a turntable ladder and several jet pipes to get the flames under control. The resulting cloud of black-gray smoke quickly moved eastward and alerted residents in Glattbach and Goldbach.

Citizens were informed via warning apps to keep windows and doors closed as the smell of fire penetrated some buildings. The extreme temperatures of up to 38 degrees did not make life any easier for the more than 100 emergency services from the fire department, technical relief agency and rescue service. To supply the emergency services, the neighboring Selgros wholesaler provided water and apple spritzer. The fire department also changed teams regularly to reduce the load.

Focus on cause of fire and extent of damage

At 10:05 a.m. the district's measuring train was alerted to check the air, soil and water for pollutants. The good news: The police reported no danger from toxic substances in the air, which defused the situation for residents. District fire officer Frank Wissel supported the operations management, while the police barriers made access easier. However, traffic on the A3 slowed down due to onlookers watching the action.

The fire was under control around 12 p.m. Nevertheless, the warning for residents remained in effect until shortly after 2 p.m., as the extinguishing work continued until late in the afternoon. The disposal company's machines shredded the fire material in order to completely extinguish embers. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the police have already launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage. Such incidents show the importance of prevention - according to a recent [Statistics on Fire Damage 2024](https://www.ifs-ev.org/ Schadenverhuetung/ursachenaktien/ursachenrechner-brandschaeden-2024/), unnecessary fires are often due to human error.

A look at the fire statistics

These events are part of a bigger picture. The current report from the CFS CTIF, which analyzes fire statistics for 2022, shows that fires remain a serious problem in many countries. The statistics include data from 55 countries and highlight the number of fires and the resulting casualties and deaths among firefighters. It is clear that continued education and improvement in fire prevention is necessary.

In today's world, when hot summers and extreme weather conditions are becoming more and more common, it is even more important that we all do our best to prevent such incidents. We can only hope that the fire in Aschaffenburg remains the last of its kind for a long time.