Shock in the early evening: A warehouse is on fire at the Wilhelm Brandenburg plant in Gäufelden. Fortunately, there is only material damage - thanks to the numerous helpers.
It is the much-cited emergency that should never actually happen: In the early evening of 27 July, a fire alarm is triggered at the Wilhelm Brandenburg plant in Gäufelden (Baden-Württemberg). A warehouse is on fire. The two fire protection assistants are immediately on the scene. They do their utmost to get the fire under control - but the flames are already too strong. Fortunately, the automatically alerted fire brigade arrives on the scene after just a few minutes and is able to prevent the worst. The large contingent of 170 firefighters join forces to bring the fire under control and prevent the flames from spreading to other buildings. 
All of the people present in the company at the time of the fire were evacuated from the building within a few minutes. Fortunately, they remained unharmed
The outcome: "One of the firefighters suffered slight smoke inhalation with carbon monoxide while trying to contain the fire and was given medical treatment as a precaution. After brief treatment, he was able to return home. All employees present in the plant were evacuated from the building, so fortunately there were no personal injuries," reports plant manager Gerold Gutekunst with relief. "Production, the ultra-fresh logistics platform and the administrative areas remained undamaged. Thanks to the quick and professional firefighting, the fire remained confined to the open-plan warehouse and the flames were prevented from spreading to our production," Gutekunst continues.
We spoke to plant manager Gerold Gutekunst about silent heroes, the effects of the fire on production and how the reconstruction is progressing.
Gerold Gutekunst
one: How is the reconstruction progressing? When do you expect production to be fully restarted?
Gerold Gutekunst: That's a difficult question to answer. The whole team is doing everything it can to ensure that we can resume full production as quickly as possible, but of course we are also dependent on trades and suppliers. We also lack the necessary storage space, which was completely destroyed in the fire. In terms of the product range, I am optimistic that we will be able to fully ramp up again this year. We are already producing some items again, such as cooked ham and regional service items. And we are gradually bringing back the items to Gäufelden for which the other five Brandenburg businesses have provided support and stepped in. In terms of product range, we are almost back to full capacity, but not with the full quantities, as we don't yet have refrigeration and steam generation everywhere. This particularly affects the slicer area, where we don't even have electricity.
one: What exactly does WB produce in Gäufelden?
Gutekunst: Among other things, we produce regional and national products for REWE and REWE Südwest here in Gäufelden; cooked sausages and sausages, Maultaschen, cooked ham, Pfefferbeißer and Mettwurst. These also include some promotional items for PENNY. However, our product range at the site will change as part of Wilhelm Brandenburg's strategic reorganisation. The raw sausage products will be relocated from Timmendorfer Strand to us.
one: Is there any new information about the cause of the fire?
Gutekunst: Unfortunately, there is no more precise information on this, it was presumably a technical defect. However, we can definitely rule out arson.
one: The pictures are frightening to look at. But it obviously looks worse than it was, doesn't it?
Gutekunst: When you saw the column of smoke, it was very frightening and in the first few minutes it was impossible to estimate the extent of the fire. But thankfully, the fire was quickly contained and expertly dealt with by the countless fire brigades. And it is thanks to the combination of the immediate and prudent intervention of our two fire safety assistants and the quick action of the fire brigades that the fire was only centred on the warehouse and did not spread any further.
one: How many employees were in the building at the time of the fire? How were they warned?
Gutekunst: At that time, our late shift of around 60 employees was working in production and packaging. There were also some employees from administration on site. Our fire alarm system triggered an alarm immediately, alerting the fire brigade. Thanks to a lot of training and fire safety tests, our employees reacted immediately and left the building and gathered at the assembly point on the company premises, so fortunately there was no personal injury.
one: What conclusions have you drawn from the fire? Are preventative measures planned for other sites?
Gutekunst: The example shows how important fire safety is and how important the internal fire safety assistants are in particular, because without their courageous and immediate action, the fire could have caused much more damage. Training all employees is immensely important and regular fire safety tests help us to develop a routine for such incidents.
Both German and English comments appear here.
Above all, I found how well the internal communication worked very exemplary. After rumours and horror scenarios were quickly circulating, communication was very prompt and transparent. Great. It was also great to see the level of commitment and willingness to support.
The high level of collegiality and performance shown by all those involved was exemplary. Everyone helped, every location responded immediately and picked up product ranges. It really was a family atmosphere.