A mother and her six children are left with nothing after the fire at their home in Stadt Haag in Lower Austria. Shortly before the fire broke out, the 55-year-old father sent an alarming message to his wife.
Friday evening shortly before 11 p.m.: A disturbing WhatsApp message arrives on the mobile phone of a mother of six: “I set the house on fire,” the 55-year-old husband wrote. The woman had recently moved with the children from the house in Stadt Haag (Lower Austria) and went to live with her grandmother in Upper Austria. The collapse of their own glass factory had also hit the family hard. Apparently everything had become too much for the 55-year-old.
“Didn’t know if anyone was in the house”
“At first we didn’t know exactly if anyone was still in the house,” says Johannes Stöffelbauer, manager of the Pinnersdorf fire brigade, who had moved to the old glass factory with seven other fire brigades. “Flames broke out at the back of the building,” reports the operations manager, who immediately sent several teams into the building with breathing equipment.
Then everything is clear: the wife and children – they are between kindergarten and secondary school – are not inside and the father has not been found either. Because parts fell from the ceiling of the dilapidated house, the helpers withdrew outside.
Helped with gasoline
Not only did the message on the mobile phone indicate arson – also that fires had broken out in several places in the building and fuel had apparently been used to help. In addition, the doors were locked and firefighters struggled to enter the home. While firefighting was still underway, news came that a man had been fatally run over by a railjet on the Western Railroad nearby – it was the homeowner.
House officially closed
“The house had to be officially closed due to the risk of collapse,” says mayor Lukas Michlmayr, who had already been informed of the fire at night. “I was relieved to hear that the wife and children are doing well. We are not abandoning the family and are helping where we can,” says the mayor. The family is cared for psychologically and through family support.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
