Investigation underway

Cobra operation in a burning house in Blons

The house was fully engulfed in flames.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

On Thursday night, a house burned down in the Vorarlberg municipality of Blons. One person was apparently armed with a knife - so Cobra had to attend. 

A fire broke out in the house in Blons shortly after midnight - it is not yet clear why. The flames quickly spread to the neighboring barn. 

When the emergency services arrived on the scene, both the house and the barn were already fully engulfed in flames. According to the police, two residents and a visitor fled from the house into the open. As the firefighters began to extinguish the fire, the visitor ran back into the house and barricaded himself in on the second floor. Cobra was called because the man had a knife with him.  

The Cobra officers finally managed to force their way into the room. The visitor had to be taken out of the house by the police under duress. He was probably in a mental "state of emergency". Drugs may have been involved. The fire department was only able to continue extinguishing the fire after the EKO Cobra officers intervened.

In the end, the man, who had sustained injuries, was flown to hospital by helicopter. The house and barn could no longer be saved, they burnt out completely. The investigation is still ongoing, one firefighter had to be taken to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.