Where are the residents?

Upper Styria: House burnt down completely

The house in the municipality of Thörl burned down completely on Monday night.(Bild: FF St. Ilgen)

Major fire department operation in the Upper Styrian municipality of Thörl: a remote residential building burned down completely on Monday night. 70 firefighters battled the flames for hours. The whereabouts of the residents are still unknown. 

At around two o'clock in the morning, passers-by noticed that a remote residential building in St. Ilgen (Bruck-Murzzüschlag district) was ablaze and alerted the emergency services. 

Burnt to the ground
Nine fire departments with 70 firefighters set out to fight the flames. According to the police, the house and an outbuilding burned to the ground. Extinguishing work was still ongoing early Monday afternoon. The cause of the fire is still unclear.

Difficult operation in steep terrain.(Bild: FF St. Ilgen)

Occupants not yet found
Meanwhile, it is unclear where the homeowners are. "The house is basically inhabited. It is possible that the residents were out at the time of the fire. But we also can't rule out the possibility that they were in the house," says police spokesman Fritz Grundnig. Officers from the State Office of Criminal Investigation have begun an investigation.