After the fatal fire in the Stern Bar in Graz on New Year’s Eve, eyewitnesses describe their experiences: Silvia and Thomas Weinhandl were just able to escape. They talk about the scary moments and bad memories on television.
The devastating fire on the night of January 1 in the popular Graz Stern Bar was over a week ago. A fire broke out there before four in the morning, blocking the exit.
On Monday evening, two of the eyewitnesses who managed to get out of the smoky basement in time spoke in the ORF program “Theme”. “You hear people screaming, see the flames and think: for heaven’s sake, how many are left?” said Silvia Weinhandl, who was at the restaurant with her husband and friends.
She describes the moment the fire broke out: “I said, ‘Honey, there’s a fire.’ He shouted: ‘Everyone, get out, there’s a fire!’ Then panic broke out.” Her husband Thomas pushed the pregnant woman towards the exit.
The group was able to escape through the front door of the restaurant, but moments later the path was blocked by flames. Shortly afterwards, meter-high flames shot out of the entrance to the bar. A video shows Thomas Weinhandl trying to break a window. “It smoked, endlessly.”
As a result, too few guests found the emergency exit in time. 31 firefighters wearing respiratory protection rescued the people with a human chain. Many were unconscious.
The 21-year-old died of smoke inhalation
For a 21-year-old from Lower Austria who celebrated New Year’s with friends in Graz, all help came too late. It was also a big shock for the Weinhandls when they received this information. “My husband then had a mild breakdown because he realized we couldn’t save the girl. That was very bad for him,” Silvia Weinhandl recalled during the show.
Even a week after the fire, she often thinks back to New Year’s Eve and the smell. “The thoughts keep coming up. We wish the people who are still in hospital that they will get better again. That is the most important thing.”
Three of the victims are still being treated at Graz University Hospital. The fire caused a total of 21 injuries.
The National Criminal Investigation Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. “The fire quickly spread to plastic decoration material,” police spokesman Fritz Grundnig said about the status of the investigation. The toxic gases can lead to rapid unconsciousness, the report said.
Source: Krone
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