Spain: Air warning lifted for toxic cloud from Madrid fire

MADRID – Emergency officials in Madrid have lifted their warning to residents living near an industrial fire to remain in their homes to avoid a toxic cloud.

Madrid’s emergency services said via social media on Saturday that firefighters used salt and bulldozers to put out the blaze in the Fuenlabrada neighbourhood.

They said one man was taken to hospital to treat burns that covered 30 per cent of his body. A nearby hotel and another industrial building were also evacuated.

The fire destroyed a truck and an unspecified amount of aluminum.

Authorities announced after a few hours that it was considered safe for local residents to leave their homes. They said the “cloud has disappeared and the air quality is back to within normal standards.”