Major operation in Schwaz

House in the middle of town on fire: Residents rescued

The fire department was deployed in the densely built-up city center of Schwaz on Sunday morning.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

A fire broke out in a residential building in the center of Schwaz in the Tyrolean lowlands early on Sunday morning. This was followed by a large-scale operation by the fire department in the densely built-up town center. Five residents and several neighbors were brought to safety.

At around 5.30 a.m., the Tyrol control center reported a fire in a residential building on Lahnbachgasse in Schwaz, right in the city center. "When we arrived, it was quickly established that the attic or top floor was already fully engulfed in flames," explains fire department incident commander Hilmar Baumann.

Residential building and neighboring building evacuated
The emergency services initially managed to get eight people - including four children aged between 12 months and 12 years - out of the house on fire. "They then confirmed to us that the house was empty," continued Baumann. The firefighting operation then began immediately. The neighboring houses were also gradually evacuated. "Two 63-year-old Austrians had to be evacuated from an apartment building opposite the fire due to broken windows caused by the heat and penetrating smoke," emphasized the police.

Dense smoke was rising. The column was visible from afar.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

All in all, eleven residents were affected or evacuated. Fortunately, no one was injured, according to the police. However, they were treated on site. In addition to several fire departments from the entire region, the police and rescue services were also deployed.

The damage caused is massive.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

Cause of the fire still unclear
The top floor of the affected residential building is completely burnt out. The emergency services were able to prevent the flames from spreading to the neighboring buildings. "Investigations into the cause of the fire have not yet yielded any concrete clues and are continuing", according to the executive. The fire department declared the fire out at around 9 a.m. "A fire watch is still in place at the building," said the police.