Investigation in Tyrol

“Ghost house” in flames: Were igniters at work?

A fire broke out in this abandoned house on Tuesday evening. Was it arson?

(Bild: Feuerwehr Zirl)

Fire alarm early Tuesday evening in Zirl, Tyrol (Innsbruck-Land district): A fire broke out in a vacant house and consequently spread rapidly. As the location was not directly accessible, several extinguishing lines had to be laid. The police began an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

New residential complexes, which were supposed to be accessible via an equally new bridge, were supposed to be built on the site. The residential complexes are not there. And so far only the pillars of the bridge remain. A dispute between the municipality and the developer has been delaying the project for years. But that's another story.

Fire spread quickly
Old, empty buildings still dominate the landscape there - close to the banks of the Inn and the Schlossbach stream. In the early hours of Tuesday evening, an abandoned detached house went up in flames. The emergency services were alerted via pager at around 5.45 pm. "A fire broke out on the second floor of a condemned building at the end of Franz-Plattner-Straße and quickly spread to the top floor," said the Zirl fire department.

With a total of three extinguishing lines, the fire was finally extinguished within a very short time.

Feuerwehr Zirl

As direct vehicle access to the scene was not possible due to the lack of a bridge, a feeder line was laid from the other side of the stream. "With a total of three extinguishing lines, the fire was finally extinguished within a very short time," the fire department continued.

"Fire out" after 2 hours, night-time inspection
After several checks with the thermal imaging camera, the operation was finally brought to an end after around two hours. "During the night, a crew carried out a further check, but it turned out to be inconspicuous."

Police launched an investigation
Fortunately, no one was injured. The cause of the fire is still unclear. As the police explained on Wednesday when asked by "Krone", a technical cause can be virtually ruled out as things stand. The fire department also said that the electricity had been switched off and the gas turned off. Investigations are being carried out in all directions.

The abandoned houses on this site are said to be repeatedly haunted by young people - and also by vandals.