Third-party fault?

House on fire: Dad and son rescued outside

Almost 40 firefighters were deployed.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Obertiefenbach)

On Sunday night, a fire broke out in a house in Hartl (Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district). A 31-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation, his four-year-old son was unharmed. His partner (35) was unexpectedly aggressive towards the emergency services. The fire could have been started.

It must have been a big shock for dad and son (4) in the East Styrian community of Hartl: At 3.20 on Sunday night, they noticed the fire on the second floor of their house. They managed to escape outside - the 31-year-old then tried to put out the fire, which was still manageable, with a fire extinguisher. The Obertiefenbach and Stubenberg fire departments were alerted and arrived on the scene shortly afterwards with almost 40 firefighters.

Bedspread was on fire
Two sources of fire were eliminated under heavy breathing protection, reports the Obertiefenbach fire department. Among other things, the comforter had caught fire. After 20 minutes, the "fire out" signal was given. Meanwhile, the police began an investigation. The 31-year-old's partner, who lives there, attracted unpleasant attention.

Arson is suspected
The 35-year-old was aggressive and obviously intoxicated. She was probably in an exceptional mental state and refused to cooperate with the officers. She was taken to hospital and her partner was admitted to the LKH Oststeiermark with suspected smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is now being investigated - the possibility of external negligence cannot be ruled out.