Operation in Villach

Smoke detector saved lives: food burnt on

The Villach main fire station and the Perau fire brigade had to respond to an apartment building: food had caught fire on the stove.(Bild: Feuerwehr Villach Hauptfeuerwache Villach)

"Another operation where the mandatory home smoke alarms in apartments saved lives and prevented further damage," says incident commander Martin Regenfelder, deputy commander of the Villach main fire station.

At around 9.45 p.m. on Friday evening, concerned tenants of an apartment building in Villach, in the district known as Manhattan, reported that smoke alarms could be heard from an apartment and that the smell of burning could already be detected.

The Villach fire department control center immediately raised the alarm for the Villach main fire station and the Perau fire brigade.

"When our fire engine was the first to arrive at the scene, after a brief investigation it was assumed that there were still people behind the locked door," said incident commander Martin Regenfelder. 

As the hydraulic door opener was being prepared, the tenant responded to the heavy knocking on the door on the 4th floor and opened it.

The man was handed over to the Red Cross for further treatment, but apparently remained uninjured.  

Burnt food on the stove was found to be the cause of the smoke. The charred remains of the food were removed and the apartment was blown smoke-free using a high-performance fan.