Fire in a bar in Graz

One year after the Stern fire: the scars remain

The tragic evening is etched in the memory of many - including Lars-Peter Kamolz.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Sepp Pail, KANIZAJ | 2019)

Surgeon Lars-Peter Kamolz treated the victims of the New Year's Eve inferno at the Stern bar in Graz. He remembers the operation that night and the months of suffering that followed for the patients. Many are still undergoing treatment.

"Krone": Doctor Kamolz, how did you experience New Year's Eve last year?
Lars-Peter Kamolz: I wasn't on duty, but I'm on standby over Christmas and New Year's Eve in case of a major incident. I was woken up at around 3.50 a.m. by a call from the Red Cross telling me about the fire at Stern. An ambulance then picked me up and took me directly to the scene of the accident.