German firefighters say two people were slightly injured and 500 evacuated from their homes in the port city of Kiel after a massive fire at an industrial area where paraffin wax was being stored in tanks.
Kiel fire department spokesman Michael Krohn says 300 firefighters worked through the night to bring the fure under control by 8 a.m. Friday.
The fire started near a canal linking the North Sea with the Baltic and quickly ignited several tanks of paraffin intended for candle making.
Krohn said flames nearly 15 meters (50 feet) high threatened to ignite heating oil tanks at nearby homes. Residents within one kilometer (1/2 mile) of the blaze were evacuated.
Police were investigating the cause of the fire. No monetary damage estimate has been made.
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