Room fire in Vienna

Smoke and flames cut off family’s escape route

When the emergency services arrived, the mother at the window was already drawing attention to herself. The mother and her children were rescued.(Bild: Stadt Wien | Feuerwehr)

A mother and her two children were trapped in their apartment during a fire in Vienna's Ottakring district on Monday night. Flames and smoke blocked their way out. The family was rescued thanks to a well-coordinated rescue chain. 

The family narrowly escaped disaster. The Vienna Fire Brigade raced to Bachgasse with six vehicles at 1.30 am. When the emergency services arrived, thick smoke was already billowing out of the windows. The mother and owner of the apartment was standing at the window and drew attention to herself. Shortly before, she had saved herself and her two children in a room that was still halfway free of smoke. Blazing flames and thick smoke blocked their escape route. 

Fire department rescued family from apartment
The professional fire department of the city of Vienna acted with lightning speed: They used special hydraulic equipment to open the apartment door and began extinguishing the fire at the same time. After the door was broken open, the flames were quickly brought under control. A breathing apparatus unit made its way to the family and put so-called escape filter masks on the mother and the two children, reported Fire Chief Jürgen Figerl from the Vienna Fire Department on Monday.

The mother, the four-year-old girl and the seven-year-old boy were then escorted safely out of the smoke-filled apartment. Outside, the emergency services took care of them. All three were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure - other residents of the apartment building were unharmed.

Cause of fire unclear
While the fire was being extinguished, smoke was extracted from the apartment using a high-performance fan and the adjoining apartments were checked. The operation was completed after around one and a half hours. It was not necessary to evacuate the entire house. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.