Family rescued – drunken firecracker sets house on fire

Around 2 am the sirens blared in Landeck. “There was a huge fire in the densely built-up center,” said the police. The Syrian family of four – parents and two children aged 2 and 4 – were rescued almost unharmed by first responders from the first-floor window of the building before police and firefighters arrived. The 28-year-old German who reported the fire was able to save himself.

Suspected smoke inhalation
A large contingent of 61 men and 13 vehicles from the Landeck Fire Department eventually managed to extinguish the blaze and prevent the flames from spreading to the upper occupied floors. “All five involved were taken to Zams Hospital as a precaution on suspicion of smoke inhalation,” said the director. While the 28-year-old was able to leave the hospital that same night, the Syrian family was released on Monday.

German to jail
The German appeared independently at the police in Landeck on Sunday. “Because the initial investigation confirmed the suspicion of arson and the man was urgently suspected of the crime, he has been temporarily arrested,” the investigators said. The investigations conducted during the day reinforced the suspicions against the man and eventually the Tyrolean admitted of his own accord that he had set fire to a cardboard box filled with waste paper at the entrance of the building while he was very drunk. The 28-year-old was taken to Innsbruck prison by order of the Innsbruck prosecutor’s office.