Around 2 a.m., sirens sounded in Rohrbach, Upper Austria: a building in the town square had gone up in flames and alarm level three was activated. A total of 13 fire brigades from the area battled the flames into the early morning hours, and there was no rescue for a single person.
“I have never experienced such a tragedy during a fire,” says Martin Wakolbinger, commander of the Rohrbach fire brigade. He and his comrades were alerted to a burning building on Rohrbach’s town square around 1:50 am on Tuesday evening.
Dramatic scenes
When the Florianis arrived at the scene of the fire, several rooms on the second floor of the apartment building were already completely on fire. “One person was lying on the sidewalk in front of the house, another person was standing on the outside windowsill on the second floor and was about to jump. We were able to prevent that by calling at the last minute,” says Wakolbinger.
Jumped out the window
The tenant was brought to safety using a turntable ladder. There was no way to save the 53-year-old lying on the sidewalk. He probably died trying to escape the flames by jumping out of the window.
14 people evacuated
The multi-storey building contains a restaurant, apartments and a guesthouse. In total, about 14 people were evacuated by firefighters. Spread to directly attached homes could be prevented. The fire is currently uninhabitable and investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire. About 250 Florianis from 13 fire brigades worked until the early morning hours to extinguish the fire.
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.
