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When the sun set in Hamburg on Tuesday, the sky turned pink. But this fiery sunset frightened a Hanseatic city resident to such an extent that he called the fire brigade.

The man from the Langenhorn district of Winterhude in Hamburg sparked the alert because he suspected that the pink clouds in the sky might have been a huge fire in his neighbourhood, The Local Germany reports, citing the Hamburger Morgenpost.

The officers in the emergency call centre immediately sent a fire brigade to the alleged blaze.

However, once at the scene the firefighters were able to determine that there was no fire. It was, in fact, a fiery-coloured sunset.

A spokesman for the fire brigade told the newspaper it's better to be safe than sorry, and it's no problem to call emergency services if residents believe there is danger.

"Of course we respond when a citizen calls for help. Even if it is - as in this case - a false alarm," he said."Better to dial 112 once too much than once too little."

The spokesman added that people often confuse evening sunsets when they're particularly strong with a fire and alert the emergency services.

The natural spectacle, however, was nothing unusual, a meteorologist with the German Weather Service said.

Since the sun's rays have to cover a particularly long distance in the evening, the light is redder compared to the day, the forecaster told DPA.

In combination with the low clouds, this results in particularly strong colours.

The sunny but cold weather in recent days has seen Germany experience some stunning sunsets. However, the weather is set to change in the later part of the week, with slightly higher temperatures (around 7C) and possible rainfall, it's unlikely these types of sunsets will continue.