"In mortal danger"

Fell asleep with a cigarette: Viennese almost burnt to death

A 41-year-old man in Vienna's Donaustadt district suffered terrible agony on Saturday. According to the emergency services, the man probably fell asleep with a cigarette and suffered severe burns. "His life was in danger", the Vienna police reported on Monday.

Alarm at the professional fire department, professional rescue and police in Vienna: At around 10.35 a.m., the emergency services had to respond to a room fire in Leonard-Bernstein-Straße. The emergency services immediately tried to contact the occupant of the affected apartment on the 6th floor - but to no avail. 

Man was barely conscious
As the door to the apartment had partially come loose, probably due to the heat, it was quickly opened. Once inside, a 41-year-old man, who was barely conscious, was pulled out of the apartment, which was engulfed in flames. 

"He was taken to hospital with suspected severe burns and smoke inhalation," reported the Vienna police. The man's life was in danger. 

Probably fell asleep with a cigarette
The fire was extinguished - the surrounding apartments were also checked. According to the current state of the investigation, it can be assumed that the 41-year-old fell asleep in his bed with a lit cigarette in his hand. No other members of the emergency services were injured during the operation.