Overview
- On the A2 at Bornstedt, a trailer caught fire after a tyre failure and destroyed about 24 tonnes of parcels, the 50-year-old driver was uninjured and police ruled out third‑party involvement as the road was closed for hours.
- Earlier between Gelsenkirchen and Herten, a bakery-goods lorry burned out on the A2 and firefighters opted for a controlled burn that forced lane closures and detours while the driver escaped unharmed.
- Near Burg in the Magdeburg area, two cars overturned off the A2 and came to rest beyond a broken wildlife fence, with occupants and a dog extricated by firefighters before transfer to medical crews.
- In Erfurt, a top-floor apartment fire intensified by stored New Year’s fireworks left the 23-year-old resident with severe burns, lightly injured two others from smoke and rendered several flats temporarily uninhabitable.
- In Ansbach, a parkhouse roof-deck explosion produced a six- to seven-metre flame; police found pyrotechnic remnants, reported no injuries and appealed for witnesses as the inquiry continues.