Fire Breaks Out In Town Center; Cosmetics Chemicals Cut Loose; Basel Beer Goes To Zurich; Excavations Reveal 1000 Year Old Basel Life

News For 10 April 2018

A fire broke out Monday evening at 6:30 PM on Claragraben in the heart of Basel.  Luckily no one was seriously injured, however, the fire department was instrumental in helping to evacuate 23 residents of the building.  The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire which broke out in one of the apartments of the multi-family building and travelled up through a staircase, rendering the building uninhabitable.  

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Two containers filled with cosmetic products lost around 2,000 liters of liquid with parts of it reaching the Rhine last Friday morning.

The fire brigade was able to catch most of the liquid and most of the pollutants that escaped into the Rhine could be bound and then pumped out at the lock at Birsfelden. There was never any danger to people or the environment. Reasons for the spill remain unclear.

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The traditional Zurich spring holiday of Sechselauten will run from 13 to 16 April this year.  Usually accompanied by fanfare and parades, this year's event will also feature a healthy dose of Basler beer.  12,000 Liters of Ueli Brewery's purpose-made brew called "Revenenz" will be shipped to Zurich in time for the festivities.  Although the beer is seen by its makers as an ambassador of its craft, you'll have to go to Zurich to try it - none of the brew is held back for the home market.

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Excavations at the police building Spiegelhof in Basel-Stadt continue to unearth new discoveries. So far, no bodies have been found, but what has been discovered include houses from around 1100, numerous leather fragments and food remains - such as egg and nutshells. Where the police station stands today, on Spiegelgasse, near the Three Kings hotel, archaeologists deduce artisans - like shoemakers - lived there 1000 years ago.  Excavations are expected to last until the end of December.