During a sauna session

Automatically saved draft

The tragedy occurred in this house and the police were investigating at full speed.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Early on Friday morning, the fire department in Vienna-Meidling was alerted after a serious fire broke out in the basement of a terraced house. The emergency services recovered the body of a 60-year-old man from a cellar - a cigarette fire is believed to have triggered the drama.

The preference for cozy warmth in the early hours of the morning may have ended tragically for a man (60) from Meidling. According to initial information, a full fire broke out in the area of a residential cellar in Helfertgasse at around 6.30 a.m. on Friday morning.

Body discovered in the basement
The professional fire department arrived at the terraced house after receiving the alarm. A veritable cloud of smoke was already rising from the street and garden-side windows of the property on fire as they approached. Florian spokesman Christian Feiler emphasizes: "The firefighters forced open the entrance doors, immediately started extinguishing the fire and searched the building at the same time. The lifeless man was found in the basement. After being rescued, only his death could be determined."

Cause probably a burning cigarette
After the fire department finally declared the fire out, the fire investigators from the State Office of Criminal Investigation took over at the scene. A total of six vehicles and 27 helpers from the Vienna Fire Department were deployed. By late afternoon, however, it could be ruled out that the fire was caused by a third party; a burning cigarette is likely to have triggered the tragedy. What remains are the distraught relatives and a deeply shocked neighborhood.