On 11 April 1996, the Düsseldorf Airport fire broke out. The fire was caused by welding work done to an expansion joint on the elevated access road of Terminal A. The situation ran completely out of control at 15:58. A flashover occurred, setting ablaze approximately 100 sq meter of the ceiling within seconds. This was accompanied by an intense buildup of thick, black smoke. A total of 11 metric tons of polystyrene burned down. Due to the effects of fire and smoke, Terminals A and B were rendered unusable, and the total damage was estimated at DM 1 billion. Several airlines temporarily moved their operations to nearby Cologne/Bonn Airport, until tents had been put up at Düsseldorf Airport. Terminal A was extensively renovated, and Terminal B was demolished completely and rebuilt; the terminals reopened in 1998 and 2001, respectively. (previous | next | back to album | 2022:06:06 11:47:19 | 94% of an album)