Wilhelmshöhe Castle: Fire brigade in large -scale use because of poisonous gases!

Wilhelmshöhe Castle: Fire brigade in large -scale use because of poisonous gases!

A great commitment of the fire brigade was now necessary at Wilhelmshöhe Castle in Kassel. The reason for this was the creation of poisonous gases from old celluloid film roles, which began to decompose at the currently high temperatures. Around 80 firefighters were in use from 10:40 a.m. to neutralize the source of danger in the archive of the Museum Administration Hesse Kassel Heritage (HKH). While part of the castle had to be cleared, the museum in other areas, such as the Gemäldegalerie, remained open, such as hessenschau.de reported.

The cause of the threatening situation was around 70-year-old celluloid film roles from the 1950s. These decompose from about 25 degrees at temperatures and release dangerous vapors. Fire chief Tobias Winter explained the urgency of the mission and warned of the constant risk of fire that comes from these films. The materials concerned include not only impressive historical documents, but also brand new challenges for the archivists.

evacuation and cooling

As part of the operation, two HKH employees were medically treated for slight paralysis. The fire brigade transported the endangered films in a special cooling container, which was set to three degrees Celsius to avoid further damage. After about six and a half hours, the operation was completed at around 5 p.m. As stated before the operation, the film roles will not return to the archive, but are to be digitized, reports Hessennews.tv.

The decomposition process of the celluloid film roles should not be underestimated. Already in the first stage of decomposition, toxic gases form that are heavier than air and have a stinging smell. In the wrong conditions, combustible materials can even occur. The Federal Archives point out that celluloid is fire -threatening in the undestroated state and can be difficult to extinguish in the event of inflammation, which made the situation in the Wilhelmshöhe Castle.

review of the archive stocks

The art and cultural minister Timon Gremmels immediately announced a thorough review of the archive stocks and additional protective measures. A total of six file cabinets with valuable images were identified as affected. However, the return of the cleared area to normal condition requires the approval of the Office for Occupational Safety.

The current events make it clear how important the careful storage and handling of historical materials is. It is to be hoped that the measures that are taken can prevent future dangers of this kind.