Tampered with lighter

Seven-year-old almost set the whole house on fire while playing with a lighter

The fire department was able to minimize the damage to the house, which had been caused by a boy with a lighter.(Bild: FF Gedersdorf)

A seven-year-old was playing with a lighter in a garage and almost caused a catastrophe. The fire department prevented the worst.

Boredom, recklessness and carelessness: this combination almost caused a major catastrophe in Gedersdorf in the district of Krems. A seven-year-old was probably playing with a lighter unnoticed behind the garage of the detached house.

Straw and pallets set alight
The boy repeatedly set fire to stalks of stored straw. The fire went out by itself several times - but then it happened: he also set other straw and pallets on fire with his kindling. From there, the flames quickly spread to the neighbor's hedge of thujas and threatened to spread to the house.

22 firefighters in action
However, the alerted fire department was able to prevent the worst from happening. During the strenuous operation, 22 firefighters saved a large part of the façade. However, parts of the roof had to be removed to search for embers. Fortunately, no one was injured.