Deflagration at gas oven

Balcony fire in Tyrol claimed four lives

Two balconies caught fire.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Fire alarm on Friday at an apartment building in Kössen in Tyrol (Kitzbühel district)! Two balconies caught fire after a gas stove deflagrated and started to burn. Four people had to be taken to hospital.

The sirens sounded in Kössen shortly before 1 pm. A balcony on the second floor of an apartment building was ablaze. "According to what we know so far, a 57-year-old man had started a gas stove in the apartment. This led to a deflagration in the area of the stove, which caused the gas stove to start burning," said the police.

Apartment building was evacuated
To prevent an apartment fire, the man then pulled the stove onto the balcony, whereupon the flames also spread to a balcony above. "When the police patrol arrived, the affected part of the building had already been evacuated by first responders who also lived in the house and the emergency services who were already present," explained the executive.

Considerable damage to property
Two first responders - a 40-year-old neighbor and a 21-year-old neighbor - as well as the 57-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, who also lived in the affected apartment, were taken to the hospital in St. Johann in Tirol for examination by the ambulance service. "There was considerable damage to the building", the investigators emphasize.