Father heard a bang

Living room was on fire

When the emergency services arrived, there was a risk of the fire spreading to the upper floor of the residential building.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Götzendorf)

A 59-year-old man heard a loud bang in the basement of his house in the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district on Thursday evening. Shortly afterwards, the father of the family discovered a fire on the first floor. His attempts to extinguish the fire were in vain, so he called the fire department.

A 59-year-old man from Schäffern, who lives on the upper floor of a house with his wife (48) and their two children (15, 18), heard a loud bang from the basement, where the children's grandparents (70, 77) live, at around 10.20 pm. When he arrived on the first floor, he discovered a fire in the living room. 

Initial attempts to extinguish the fire had no effect
The man initially tried to fight the fire himself using a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful. The fire spread quickly and a short time later the living room was fully engulfed in flames. The family informed the emergency services and escaped outside.

Fire department fought the fire
On arrival at the scene, the emergency services noticed heavy smoke and the risk of the fire spreading to the upper floor.

The fire department was able to prevent the flames from spreading to other rooms. None of the residents were injured. The cause of the fire is still unclear. The investigation is ongoing.