Hamburg, 9 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Clouds of smoke have covered downtown Hamburg following a fire in two warehouses east of the city centre on Sunday.

"Hamburg's city centre is completely blacked out," a spokesman for the Hamburg fire brigade told dpa. Fire authorities have classified the fire and smoke as "extreme danger."

The fire is ongoing as crews seek to extinguish it, authorities said. It broke out in the district of Rothenburgsort, which is on the Elbe river and borders Hafencity, among other places.

The fire brigade could not initially give any information on how exactly the large fire could have occurred during the night or what exactly was in the burning warehouses.

Residents were being urged to keep windows and doors closed and protect themselves from the smoke in a wide area in Hamburg's north-east.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn also announced that the tracks between Hamburg and Büchen had to be closed due to the fire.

Photo: DPA