Major fire on Salzgitter AG premises: Scrap pile burns for hours

Firefighting operations through the night

According to a spokesperson, the rising smoke became noticeably lighter and less dark just a few hours after the fire broke out. The emergency crews interpreted this as a sign that the firefighting efforts were taking effect. In the early morning, a spokesperson said: „Sie seien gut vorangekommen, sagte ein Sprecher am frühen Morgen.

According to the authorities, there was a „starken Rauchentwicklung, die Richtung Süd-Südost zieht“, hieß es von der Behörde. The Federal Office for Civil Protection had issued a warning via the warning app "Nina". Residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Warning to the public

According to the fire department, no one was injured. The extensive firefighting operations were expected to continue into the early morning hours, according to the operations management. The scrap pile on the premises of steel company Salzgitter AG was still burning at the time of reporting: „Der Schrottberg auf dem Gelände des Stahlkonzerns Salzgitter AG steht immer noch in Flammen.

The fire department initially provided no information on the cause of the fire. As of the morning, there was still no confirmed finding on how the approximately 40 by 40 meter and roughly 15-meter-high scrap pile had caught fire.

The challenge of scrap fires

On the premises of Salzgitter AG, steel scrap is stored and processed for production. Such storage facilities are particularly difficult to extinguish due to the mixture of metals, oils and other residues, the emergency crews explained. The material can persist in cavities for a long time and reignite repeatedly.

The operation also posed logistical challenges for the rescue teams: Since the scrap pile could not be reached from the outside using conventional means, excavators had to pull the material apart while teams used water and extinguishing foam to put out the individual fires. The measure lasted several hours.

Within the city limits of Salzgitter, the column of smoke was visible for many kilometers. The warning issued via the "Nina" app also reached people in the southern and southeastern districts as well as in neighboring municipalities.

Closures and cordons

Police cordoned off access routes to the plant site over a wide area in order not to hinder the emergency forces and to keep onlookers away. Adjacent rail traffic was also temporarily affected, according to residents.

Salzgitter AG is one of the largest steel producers in Germany. The company employs several thousand people at its Salzgitter site and operates blast furnaces, rolling mills and recycling facilities for steel scrap there.

Impact and background

Financial markets showed no discernible price reaction to the news of the fire initially. Deutsche Bank AG had rated the Salzgitter AG stock as "Buy" on 28/05/26, DZ BANK rated it as "Hold" on 19/05/26, and Jefferies & Company Inc. also rated it "Hold" on 13/05/26.

The fire department expected that fire watch and overhaul operations would continue even after the open flames were extinguished. Smoldering hotspots inside the pulled-apart scrap would need to be continuously monitored and selectively extinguished, it said.

Residents with questions about smoke exposure could contact the fire department control center as well as the city's information channels. Air quality measurements were underway, according to the authorities.

Salzgitter AG announced a statement on the situation on the plant premises for the morning. Until then, the company did not want to provide any information on possible impacts on production.

The incident is reminiscent of earlier fires at recycling yards and scrap sites, where the mixture of metal, oil and other residues had likewise made extinguishing difficult. In such cases, excavators and special gripping arms are also used to break up the burning material.

The fire department also warned against visiting the fire site on one's own initiative. The plant premises are not publicly accessible, and the access roads are being controlled. Walkers in the surrounding area were also asked to follow the instructions of the emergency crews.