House in Upper Austria evacuated

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The fire departments in Bad Ischl successfully fought the cellar fire - the fire was quickly extinguished.(Bild: FF Bad Ischl)

It was apparently neither a defect nor a coincidence - flames were blazing in several places in the basement of a multi-party house in Bad Ischl (Upper Austria). One person had to be taken to hospital. The police are now investigating on suspicion of arson. 

At around 5.30 a.m. on Saturday morning, ten fire departments around Bad Ischl sounded their sirens. A suspected fire in a cellar was the first alert, but when a second caller raised the alarm again, more forces were requested.

"Upon arrival, several small fires in the cellar and heavy smoke in the stairwell were detected. Four breathing apparatus teams began fighting the fire and evacuating the 20 residents. One person was handed over to the Red Cross for further treatment," reports the Bad Ischl fire brigade. As there were several fires, arson is suspected.

Fire quickly extinguished
Once the fires had been extinguished and all residents were able to leave the building, the Bad Goisern fire brigade and the Ischl units that were alerted later no longer needed to be deployed - the reinforcements that arrived were able to move back in.

The stairwell and cellar were then cleared of smoke using a high-performance fan and an extraction unit. The residents were then able to return to the house. The police are now trying to catch the igniter.