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Fire in Solingen: Fire massively destroyed the house
Photo: Gianni Gattus / dpa
Three people, including a child, were killed in a major fire in an old building in Solingen on Monday morning. A small child is still missing. The fire department looked for him primarily in the attic of the house. “The chance of survival is dwindling from minute to minute,” said the fire brigade operations manager.
Nine people were taken to hospitals with serious injuries. According to the fire department, twelve other people suffered minor injuries.
The fire probably broke out on the first floor of the approximately 100-year-old house with wooden ceilings and a wooden staircase and spread quickly, said a fire department spokesman. In the morning, the numerous emergency services had the fire under control, but extinguishing work was still ongoing. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Jump out the window
To escape the flames, a man with a child in his arms and a woman jumped out of the building's windows, the spokesman reported. One person landed on a car roof even though the fire department had set up a jumping cushion.
Emergency pastors are on duty. The city had assigned a bus to quickly accommodate uninjured residents, he said.
Dead people discovered in the attic
The advancing firefighters discovered the dead in the attic of the four-story house with the roof removed, the spokesman said. The house was massively destroyed in the fire and the stairwell partially collapsed.
The fire was reported to the fire department at 2:46 a.m., the spokesman said. When the fire brigade arrived, the wooden stairwell was “fully burning red,” said the operations manager. The escape route was “completely burned away.”
The police supported the fire department's rescue work with a large contingent. To clarify the background, a murder squad took over the investigation.
kub/dpa/AFP