Truck fire in Oberhausen: Driver suffered smoke poisoning, metal burned!

Truck fire in Oberhausen: Driver suffered smoke poisoning, metal burned!

On Thursday, April 3, 2025, the Oberhausen fire brigade was alerted to a fire from a truck on the grounds of the GMVA waste burning Niederrhein. Numerous calls reported heavy smoke development and flames from the saddle trailer, which transported mixed goods waste. The driver of the truck first noticed the fire in the rearview mirror and reacted quickly by turning the saddle trailer into a safe area and separating the connection to the tractor.

During the fire fighting, the driver suffered slight smoke poisoning. The ambulance service provided him on site and took him to the hospital. The units of Feuerwache 1 and the volunteer fire brigade were on site. There are reports to be heard during the fire, presumably due to high temperatures that even led to the melting of the metal walls of the trailer.

effective fire fighting

The fire brigade was able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring areas. The extinguishing foam was used to rule out the risk of a return. A total of 19 firefighters were deployed to get the situation under control. The police determination is now taken over by the police. The environmental authority has also started investigations to examine a possible leakage of pollutants, which is of great importance in view of the pollutant content of the loading.

background relevant for traffic

Such incidents raise questions about the security standards in freight transport, especially if you look at the continuously increasing energy consumption figures in the German traffic sector. According to the Environmental Federal Agency , the primary energy consumption of the transport sector was around 3,498 Petajoules in 2023, which is a third of the total primary energy consumption in Germany. In particular, freight transport needed around 35 % of this consumption, which has been an increase of about 42 % since 1995.

The effective use of energy and alternative drives are crucial for the future of traffic. The use of more environmentally friendly transport methods and technologies is not only a question of security, but also an important step towards reducing pollutant emissions and for promoting sustainable traffic. Electric vehicles play an increasingly important role in this discussion and achieved a market share of 14 % in the new registrations in 2023.