Even 30 hours after the serious accident at the Gräfenhausen-Ost rest area on the A5 motorway between Darmstadt and the Frankfurter Kreuz, there is still an intense smell of fire in the air.

While the vehicles drive by in four lanes on the motorway, it is surprisingly quiet on the rest area.

Where up to 190 firefighters fought the fire 24 hours previously and did everything they could to protect the building of the tank and rest area, an excavator is now tearing down piece by piece from the charred roof structure. The petrol pump into which a car crashed shortly before 7 a.m. on Monday morning was completely destroyed, the others were destroyed by flames. You can see their innards and a lot of molten metal. This gives an idea of ​​the heat caused by the fire. The two vehicles that burned out have since been removed.

The fire brigade had to extinguish the roof structure until the evening hours on Monday and bring in some of the water with a hose up to 1.5 kilometers in length, because there is only one hydrant on the petrol station site.

On Tuesday night there was still a fire watch at the rest stop.

Just in case.

Buildings could be saved

The fire brigade let the roof burn down in a controlled manner and did everything in its power to save the building from the flames.

Here and there a pane has broken, soot has spread inside, but nothing else has happened to the buildings.

A few chairs have been put together a little away from the source of the fire, with a few crates of drinks in front of them.

The emergency services had rested here.

Alexander Burkel had arrived during the fire.

The project manager of the company Polygonvatro from Magstadt was commissioned by the operator Tank und Rast with the fire restoration.

First of all, the rubble must be cleared away, he tells the FAZ.

After that, the renovation can begin.

What exactly needs to be done and how long the tank and rest area will remain closed is open, according to Burkel.

Drivers brake to gawk

Appraisers and insurance representatives would come on Friday to get an idea of ​​the extent of the damage on the spot.

Burkel estimates that the petrol station and rest area will remain closed for at least a year.

It is not yet possible to estimate what this will mean for the truck drivers who otherwise stay there overnight.

Access from the motorway has been closed since Monday. Again and again, however, drivers brake on the autobahn to see the damage. The constant horns indicate that there are always dangerous situations caused by gawkers. That is why Burkel and his men want to quickly erect a stable site fence and a privacy screen around the facility. Then the onlookers have no more chance. Some have also come to the rest area via the forest paths to see the damage, but keep their distance.