Tragedy in Salzburg

Infant woke up father – mother died in fire

A candle outside the front door commemorates the tragedy. A family from Goldegg (Salzburg) forgot to switch off the stove - with fatal consequences.

In the middle of the night, he was startled by the cries of his one-year-old son. The father of the family (33) immediately noticed the heavy smoke - and did not hesitate. He called the emergency services shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday, full of panic: There was a fire in his house in Goldegg. His child and he were on the second floor, his partner (33) on the first floor. They wouldn't be able to get out themselves. "We moved out immediately, the house is close to our main fire brigade," says local fire brigade commander Simon Kühr.

"Massive smoke"
The father held the baby out of the window until the emergency services arrived to protect him from the toxic gases. "The fire itself was quickly extinguished, the big problem was the massive smoke," explains Kühr. The fire department was able to rescue the family from the house, the mother was no longer conscious at the time. The emergency medical team immediately began resuscitation. Together with her son and partner, she was taken to Schwarzach Hospital - where she succumbed to her injuries.

Hotplate as the cause
According to the police, the fire broke out in the kitchen. The family had forgotten to switch off the hob. The public prosecutor's office ordered an autopsy of the 33-year-old woman.