Arson

Fire in asylum accommodation was arson after all

The fire in Schönau im Mühlkreis forced 16 asylum seekers to flee, six of whom were taken to hospital.(Bild: TEAM FOTOKERSCHI.AT / SIMON BRANDSTÄTTER)

So it was! After the fire in an asylum shelter in Schönau im Mühlkreis (Upper Austria) was initially reported to have been caused by someone else, things now look completely different: Investigators from the LKA Upper Austria found evidence in three different places that an ignition had been used there.

The major fire in the former "Oberndorfer Stub'm" inn in the municipality of Schönau im Mühlkreis broke out at around midnight on Tuesday night. The fire broke out on the ground floor and then spread relatively quickly to the upper floor up to the roof truss.

Closed since 2023
The pub has been closed since 2023, which is why garden tools and large quantities of liquid fuels were stored in the former restaurant and in the area where the fire broke out, which were presumably used to accelerate the outbreak of the fire.

It didn't work in two places
During the inspection of the pub, two other fire spots were also found where an attempt had apparently been made to start a fire. Due to the fact that there are apparently three different points of fire, it is assumed that this was arson.

The residential units on the second floor were only secondarily affected by the fire. The 16 residents and one guest were evacuated but were not injured. The investigation into who caused the fire is ongoing.