Major operation Thursday morning in Styria: There was an explosion in a single-family home in Hart near Graz. A 72-year-old resident, whose birthday is today, was seriously injured. The fire brigade rescued him from the house, which was in danger of collapsing.
The stately residential area, where dramatic scenes took place in the morning hours, is idyllically located in the countryside. “I heard a dull bang,” said a woman who lives next to the house that suddenly exploded. “My children thought something had happened to us, all they saw was a cloud of white dust flying up.” Another neighbor also ventured among the numerous media representatives. “I live not far from him and have known the injured man since my student days. “But I didn’t hear anything this morning,” he says.
At 5:19 a.m. the siren blared from the volunteer fire brigade of Hart bei Graz, whose armory is only three minutes away from the scene. “Small fire with smoke development” was the first report for the Florianis. But the seemingly innocent mission ultimately turned out to be an absolute challenge. “From the control center we found out that the house had partially collapsed,” says operations manager Peter Preuß in an interview with the “Krone”. So it was clear: extreme care and caution is required, there is a great danger! The experienced chief fire inspector quickly changed his tactics and, together with his comrades, grabbed a gas detector.
“He even raised his hand.”
When we arrived at the house, it turned out that most of the damage had occurred in the front area. Because the entire house wall was no longer there, simply blown away! “I called into the house and actually got an answer. The man then even raised his hand. At first it looked like it was buried, like an earthquake,” says Preuss.
To avoid endangering anyone, he initially ventured alone to the seriously injured man, picking his way through the rubble and broken furniture. “He was lying on the bed, with the rubble cone next to him, so he wasn’t buried.” Then he called three comrades to him. Using a crash rescue – which requires the injured person to be brought out as quickly as possible – they rescued the 72-year-old, who celebrated his birthday today, from the house that was in danger of collapsing. To do this, they lifted him into a basket stretcher and left the building as quickly as possible. “Everything took about a minute,” says Preuss, happy that everything has gone well so far.
They then handed the man over to the emergency doctor. The victim, a tax consultant, was subsequently subjected to emergency surgery in hospital with burns; reportedly about 30 percent of his skin was affected. His actual situation is not yet known. It is mentioned in the room that he had a gas cylinder in his hands, but it is not believed that there was any outside influence. The National Criminal Investigation Department is currently investigating.
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.
