Solingen drama

Now clear: fire with four fatalities was arson

Investigators have found clear evidence of an accelerant.(Bild: Glomex/dpa)

If the incident wasn't bad enough, an incredible detail about the major fire in an apartment building in Solingen, Germany, which left four people dead, has now come to light: it was deliberate arson! A preliminary report documents clear traces of an accelerant.

This was announced by the public prosecutor's office in Wuppertal on Wednesday. A father, a mother and two children from a Bulgarian family died in the fire on Monday morning. A further nine people were taken to hospital with injuries of varying severity.

The father, mother and two children of a Bulgarian family were killed by the flames.(Bild: Gianni Gattus / dpa / picturedesk.com)

Family had no chance
According to reports, the fire started in the stairwell of the old building. The fire had spread to the roof within five minutes due to a so-called chimney effect. There were "clear traces of an accelerant" in the wooden stairwell. Based on these findings, "deliberate arson" had to be assumed.

When the fire department arrived, the wooden stairwell was already fully engulfed in flames, blocking the escape route. Several residents jumped out of the windows in panic. The fire department deployed up to 120 firefighters.

Experts' assessment "clear"
 Fire experts inspected the uninhabitable house on Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire. The initial assessment of the experts was "clear", according to the public prosecutor's office.