Barcelona fire: Toxic chlorine cloud covers part of major city as 160,000 people warned to stay indoors

A toxic chlorine cloud over parts of a major city has forced authorities to desperately order 160,000 people to stay indoors following a shocking factory .

The blaze in ignited at a chemical storage plant in the beachfront town of Vilanova i la Geltru around 25 miles from , . The shocking toxic cloud has affected popular resorts south of the Catalan capital and forced a famous event to be called off. The terrifying blaze broke out at 2.30am this morning and firefighters have been pictured desperately trying to put the fire out as huge plumes of dangerous smoke billow from the site.

The fire started at factory being used to store 70 tons of chlorine for use in swimming pools. Civil Protection officials quickly activated an alert to warn people about the potential danger and instruct them to shut their windows, doors and stay inside.

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In a "Chemical Alert" message on X they said: "If you are in the affected area, don’t leave your house or your place or work. An alert will be sent to mobile phones to inform people about the lockdown."

The owner of the firm where the blaze started, Jorge Vinuales, said the cause of the fire was not known yet but suggested it could have been linked to a lithium battery catching on fire.

The message added: "Don’t travel to the affected areas." The danger areas, in the provinces of Barcelona, have been identified as: Villanova i La Geltru, Cubelles, Les Roquetes de Sant Pere de Ribes, Cunit and Calafell.

Catalan president Salvador Illa said the situation was "under control" but added the lockdown will stay in place until there is "no risk to the population". Firefighters tackling the incident confirmed near midday: “The fire in Vilanova i la Geltru has been stabilised. We have 24 crews on site. We’re continuing to work on putting out the blaze.”

A receptionist at a local hotel revealed how the area, popular with British tourists, had been fully hit by midday. She said: "All our guests are having to stay inside because no-one can go out. It’s a lovely day here so people would normally be on the beach or strolling along the seafront.

"We don’t know how long the lockdown is going to last but obviously we hope it will be soon."

The lockdown has led to the cancellation of the Vida BBQ, which is considered a "sneak peak" into a famous Vida Festival, with global artists, due to take place in Villanova i la Geltru in July.

Organisers said: "Faced with this situation our responsibility and commitment to the health and wellbeing of people who were due to attend this event obliges us to take this difficult decision."