Yellow toxic substance hanging above Hengelo; Locals urged to stay inside

A yellow cloud of an unknown toxic substance was hanging above Hengelo on Wednesday morning. An NL Alert was issued to people in the Twente region, warning people in the area to stay inside, and keep windows, doors, and ventilation closed, Tubantia reports.

The toxic substance originated at company Thales on Zuidelijke Havenweg. The building was evacuated. The authorities believe the yellowish smoke was caused by a chemical reaction at the company.

Multiple fire department units were deployed to the scene and the situation was scaled up to GRIP 1, a protocol stating that all emergency response teams unite under a single commander. Firefighters were damping the released vapor down with extinguishing water, and using a drone to get an overview of the situation.

As far as is known, no one was injured by the substance, a spokesperson for the Twente Fire Department said to Tubantia.

Giftige stof afkomstig van Thales drijft over #Hengelo. Wilde dopluis in hortensia's te lijf met natuurazijn, zal dit ook werken? pic.twitter.com/yFBz3BVwki

— Esther Rouwenhorst (@EstherR_horst) March 3, 2021

Red uw leven in #hengelo #twente pic.twitter.com/I3v8tJ5iq8

— BracesDr X 🪥 (@abrillie) March 3, 2021