Drama in Germany

Family dies in fire drama in Germany

(Bild: Gianni Gattus / dpa / picturedesk.com)

Four people, including an infant and another child, were killed in a major fire in an old building in the German town of Solingen (North Rhine-Westphalia) on Monday morning. The four victims were a family, a city spokeswoman confirmed.

"It is a day of mourning for our entire city," said Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach. According to the city of Solingen, nine people were taken to hospital with injuries of varying severity.

Fire spread rapidly
The fire probably broke out on the second floor of the approximately 100-year-old house with wooden ceilings and a wooden staircase and spread rapidly, said a fire department spokesman. Flames were shooting out of the windows on the second floor when the emergency services arrived at the house.

The fire was reported to the fire department at 2.47 am. Around 40 people contacted the emergency call center almost simultaneously, a spokesman said. The first firefighters were at the scene of the fire within six minutes. The fire department deployed up to 120 firefighters.

Only after the fire was under control were the firefighters able to search for the missing baby.

(Bild: Gianni Gattus / dpa / picturedesk.com)

Stairwell "glowing red-hot in full fire"
When the fire department arrived, the wooden stairwell was "glowing red-hot with fire", said Gottfried Kreuzberg, head of operations. The escape route was "completely burnt away". "At this point, the occupants could only be rescued via the windows", the city's statement said.

Unfortunately, the efforts came too late for two adults and a child, who were found dead. They were members of a family with two children who lived on the top floor of the four-storey house.

Baby was initially missing
After the firefighters had the fire under control on Monday morning, the nerve-wracking search for the family's missing younger child began. There was initially no trace of the baby. Firefighters repeatedly drove up the soot-blackened façade with lifting platforms and climbed into the building via the roof; in the meantime, a sniffer dog was also brought into the house.

The fire department was able to bring the fire under control on Monday.

(Bild: Glomex/dpa)

Dangerous search operation
The search operation on the upper floor was dangerous, said a fire department spokesperson. Part of the floor there had been burnt away by the flames. Finally, the sad certainty: the emergency services brought a body bag into the building via the roof. Shortly afterwards, the city also confirmed the death of the fourth victim.

According to information from "Bild", further dramatic scenes had taken place beforehand: A resident of the burning house jumped from the third floor with a small child in his arms. They were safely caught in a fire department rescue sheet. According to a fire department spokesperson, another person also jumped down. However, she landed on the roof of a car and was seriously injured.

I can hardly put into words how sad I am today.

Solingens Oberbürgermeister Tim Kurzbach

The cause of the fire was initially unclear. Police fire investigators took over the scene of the fire in the early afternoon and began a search. After the incident, emergency counselors not only looked after the residents of the house, but also the firefighters, according to the city. "I can hardly put into words how sad I am today, especially when I think of the children," explained Solingen's mayor.