The fire in a residential complex in Essen has still not been extinguished. So far, the fire department has confirmed three injuries. The mission continues.
- In Essen, an entire residential complex burned down early Monday morning. (see first report)
- So far, the fire department has confirmed three injuries. (see update from February 21, 7:53 a.m.)
- A fire protection expert now commented on the possible cause (update from February 21, 12:13 p.m.) .
Update from February 21, 1:46 p.m .: The fire in the block of flats has spread from a balcony, the fire brigade announced on Monday. The storm “Antonia” that raged during the night obviously ensured that the fire then spread rapidly across the facade and balconies that were exposed to the wind. The building with a façade length of around 65 meters and four and a half floors is equipped with a thermal insulation composite façade. Three people were injured in the fire.
As a result of the major fire, 128 people lost their homes and many of them lost their belongings. The majority of those affected organized themselves a temporary place to stay on Monday, 27 people would have to be accommodated for a longer period of time, the city of Essen said. 35 apartments were completely burned out in the fire, others were affected by massive smoke development or extinguishing water.
The housing company Vivawest, as the owner of the house, had offered the residents rooms in nearby hotels at short notice. A city spokeswoman said there were also citizens who offered those affected guest rooms. The city provides medicines, hygiene items and clothing for current needs, the statement said. A donation account has also been set up for those affected.
Major fire in Essen: NRW Interior Minister Reul comments
Update from February 21, 12:31 p.m .: According to NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), the major fire “was started very strongly from the outside”. When asked by a dpa journalist whether insulating materials (see previous update) could have favored the fire, Reul said: “I’m not an expert, so I’m holding back, but I think like you do.” About the possible cause of the fire there are no indications yet.
The three injured with smoke gas problems could have already left the hospital. “No one is missing, but of course there can still be someone in there,” said Reul. The firefighters could not enter all rooms “because of the static”. He could now “give the all clear about the current danger”.
Expert: The major fire in Essen has probably spread across the facade
Update from February 21, 12:13 p.m .: A fire protection expert has a guess as to how the fire in Essen could be so devastating: It may have spread through facade insulation. That said Frank Hachemer, Vice President of the German Fire Brigade Association, when asked by dpa.
It also fits that the storm, according to eyewitness accounts, fanned the fire. Due to today’s fire protection regulations, spreading inside is hardly possible that easily. “The ceilings themselves are firewalls that cannot actually be broken through easily, so that a fire usually remains trapped in a room,” explained the fire protection expert.
Fire accident in NRW: Expert suspects facade insulation as a problem
“Of course, as an outsider, you can’t say that with absolute certainty, but when I look at the first publicly accessible images and a short film sequence, it initially looks like the fire has spread across the facade,” said the expert for preventive fire protection. “And the plaster doesn’t really burn.”
The topic of facade insulation has been discussed for years. “There is flammable and non-flammable insulation,” said Hachemer in the dpa interview.
Update from February 21, 10:40 a.m .: According to the fire brigade, the fire in a residential building in Essen has not yet been extinguished on Monday morning. Inside the building there are still individual flaring fire nests, said a fire department spokesman. A spread of the fire to other surrounding buildings can now be ruled out.
The building complex is about ten years old. “The massive spread of fire surprised all emergency services,” emphasized the spokesman. You’ve never experienced anything like it. Normally there are fire barriers in modern buildings, so something like that is actually not possible. Why it could still happen in this case must be investigated. The police want to start an investigation as soon as possible.
Essen’s Mayor Kufen relieved: No missing persons at the moment
Essen’s Lord Mayor Thomas Kufen (CDU) expressed his relief that apparently no one died in the major fire. That was “not a matter of course with this fire of this magnitude,” said Kufen of the dpa. Nobody is missing at the moment. Fortunately, there have only been three people with smoke poisoning so far – “thanks to the efforts of the neighbors, but also to the forces of our fire brigade and the rescue service”. He is very proud of that.
The city administration is now taking care of the accommodation of the people who cannot go back to their apartments. “A citizens’ hotline has been set up and a donation account is currently being set up because I know that the people of Essen stick together in this situation and show a great willingness to help.”
Big fire in Essen: Police want to start investigations
Update from February 21, 9.50 a.m .: The cause of the fire in a large residential building in Essen has not yet been clarified. A police spokeswoman said on Monday that investigations would be started as soon as possible. At the moment it is still being extinguished and then you have to see how quickly you can enter the burnt ruins. “But then of course we determine how it could have happened.”
About 180 people from the burnt-out residential building and surrounding buildings have been accommodated in a neighboring lecture hall center. This included children, the elderly, people in wheelchairs, “the complete cross-section of ages,” said the responsible section manager, Sebastian Smitmans, from the Malteser. The people are “collected and calm”. Emergency counselors would offer talks. According to the fire brigade, around 100 people lived in the burned-out house itself.
A 69-year-old resident of an attic apartment said she was awakened early in the morning by a loud knock on the front door. All she could do was throw on a coat and put on shoes. “I left my cell phone on the bedside table,” she says. Her glasses stayed there too. She was told that her apartment was completely burned.
Big fire in Essen: Residents report dramatic scenes – “Inferno”
Update from February 21, 9:15 a.m .: A 35-year-old resident was one of the first eyewitnesses to the big fire. “It was around two o’clock when I wanted to go to bed and so I turned off the last lights and outside, ‘Fire! Fire!’ screamed,” he reported to the German Press Agency. “And then I looked out the window and there was smoke coming out where the blinds were half mast. So I said, ‘Okay, that’s more serious.'”
He tried to call the fire department, got dressed and ran outside. “Then flames came blazing up from all the other side of the building. It was like an inferno. The wind whipped up the flames – sparks.” The first fire engine arrived shortly thereafter. The firefighters ran into the house and then shouted: “We need help!” The resident followed the call together with two other people. “Then the three of us ran up the stairwell there. And there was a wheelchair user who of course couldn’t use the elevator anymore and couldn’t get down. So the three of us carried it down. Two in the back, I grabbed the front, carried him down. Then the police came and everything was evacuated.”
Then it went incredibly fast. “Within 20 minutes the whole house was completely on fire. You have the feeling that you are in a fire inferno here.” As of Monday morning, flames were still erupting from the burned-out L-shaped building complex. An end to the extinguishing work is not yet in sight, said a spokesman in the morning. “This is very difficult and sometimes dangerous for the emergency services at the moment, since they have to go into every apartment.” The residents were housed in a nearby university lecture hall.
Essen: Residential complex in flames – Three injured confirmed
Update from February 21, 7:53 a.m .: According to the WDR, the fire brigade in Essen speaks of an “unprecedented fire”. Accordingly, 50 residential units on four floors and a total of around 100 people are affected.
The fire “spread very quickly,” said Christoph Risse, a spokesman for the Essen fire department. When we arrived we heard a lot of smoke alarms. Many people were quickly taken out of the building. However, it is still unclear whether all residents could be evacuated in time. The spokesman confirmed only three injured people who suffered from smoke inhalation.
First report from February 21: Essen – This early Monday morning, a complete residential complex is on fire in the Westviertel in Essen. “All available professional fire brigades were alerted,” said a spokesman for the fire brigade of the German Press Agency. The fire could not be brought under control.
Essen: Residential complex is on fire – fire brigade in large-scale operation
As a spokesman for the police* said, the fire object is an L-shaped building complex. For reasons that have not yet been explained, the buildings caught fire one after the other. The houses were evacuated. The residents were housed in a nearby university lecture hall. It is not yet known whether there are injuries or deaths.
As the fire brigade announced on Twitter, the extinguishing work will cause disruptions in rush-hour traffic. Segerothstrasse and Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse in Essen are completely closed. According to the information, a warning was also sent via the “NINA” warning app. The western quarter borders directly on the core of the city in North Rhine-Westphalia*.
The WAZ recently reported on a series of fires in the city. There were three fires within a week in the Elting district north of the city center.
In Munich, a warehouse fire* recently called for the fire brigade. (ph with dpa) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
List of rubrics: © Fabian Strauch
