Toxic chlorine cloud forces 160,000 to confine inside in major European city

Children and those with health conditions are most at risk.

It led to 160,000 people having to remain indoors until the lockdown was lifted at noon.

The blaze took place in Vilanova i la Geltru, just south of Barcelona and started early on Saturday morning, reported France24.

Civil protection services instructed people to stay inside and close the windows before lifting the restrictions around noon.

Catalonia's interior minister, Nuria Parlon announced earlier today: "The lockdown is being lifted."

There are still some harmful toxins in the air children and those with health conditions are being urged to remain indoors and cautioned against excercising outdoors.

The areas that are most at risk stretches across five regions from Vilanova i la Geltru to the village of Calafell, near Tarragona.

Fire services reported on X that there were "no casualties".

They added that they were "monitoring the column (of gas) caused by the blaze for changes and for its toxic levels".

The warehouse owner Jorge Vinuales Alonso told local radio: "It is very difficult for chlorine to catch fire but when it does so it is very hard to put it out."

He said the cause of the fire might have been a lithium battery.