Cause of fire determined

Fire at a nursing home: 34 seniors injured

Thirteen people were injured in a fire at a nursing home.(Bild: Hermann Sobe)

Tragic incident near Lind ob Velden in Carinthia: An alarm was triggered at a nursing home on Friday evening around 5:20 p.m. A fire had broken out in a room, injuring several seniors. Over 100 residents had to be evacuated to safety. The cause of the fire has now been determined.

On Friday afternoon, five fire departments—the Lind ob Velden Fire Department, the Föderlach Fire Department, the Rosegg Fire Department, the Wernberg Fire Department, and the Damtschach Fire Department—had to respond to a particularly delicate call with 120 personnel. A fire had broken out in a room at a nursing home for unknown reasons. 102 residents of the care facility had to be evacuated to safety by emergency responders.

“Open flame”
The cause of the fire in the room was not yet clear on Friday evening but was quickly determined. According to the police, the cause was “improper handling of an open flame”—a specialized fire detection dog was also deployed for the investigation.

While an initial update from the Red Cross mentioned “four people with minor injuries and one seriously injured person,” the number had to be revised significantly upward shortly thereafter. “Currently 34 injured people. Additional Red Cross units are being called in right now,” the organization stated later. “The seriously injured person was flown to the hospital by rescue helicopter C11,” explains Melanie Reiter, press spokesperson for the Carinthian Red Cross. The 61-year-old woman is being treated at Klagenfurt Hospital. By Saturday, the number of injured had been revised to 13.

A situation like this is extremely stressful for everyone, but especially for older people. Some residents suffer from dementia.

Melanie Reiter, Rotes Kreuz Kärnten

“Twenty crisis intervention staff are now on site,” Reiter said. Such stressful situations place a particular strain on seniors in need of care. “The top priority is the safe care and support of all those affected,” the Red Cross stated. 

Many suffered from smoke inhalation
Most of the injured suffered from smoke inhalation. Due to the massive amount of smoke, all 102 residents had to be evacuated from the building and distributed among other care facilities in the districts of Villach and Feldkirchen.

Relatives notified
At the same time, the facility operator, the Mavida Group, notified the residents’ relatives. “Our thoughts are with those affected and their families. We extend our sincere thanks to the fire department and emergency rescue teams,” said Daniel Nedved, the Mavida Group’s managing director for Carinthia.

Hotline for family members

An information hotline has been set up for family members of the residents affected by the fire at the Lind ob Velden nursing home. If you have any questions, please call 0664 / 304 15 48

To provide the best possible care for those affected, helpers also arrived from other districts: “From Spittal, Klagenfurt, and Feldkirchen,” explains Reiter. “The crisis teams on site are primarily focused on reassuring the residents.” The fire departments were able to conclude their operation around 10 p.m.