The fire in a pig farm in Saxony-Anhalt killed some 2,000 pigs on Easter Sunday. Whether the animals burned at the plant in Klein Wanzleben in the district of Börde or choking on the gases was unclear, as the police announced.
More than 100 firefighters tried since Sunday morning for hours with 28 fire trucks to extinguish the fire. Only in the afternoon they had the situation under control. Because of the fire, it had not been possible to rescue pigs from the flames.
It was also unclear whether the cause of the fire was a technical defect or human error. At the earliest on Tuesday, fire investigators could return to the completely burned out stables. Until then it would be too dangerous, said a police spokesman.
The plant was designed with nine stables for 45,000 to 70,000 animals, a representative of the local veterinary office had told the police officer on site. Fattening pigs, gilts, sows and piglets are kept there. From the operators there was no information.