Was still in bed – firefighters rescued tenants from burning apartment

Just before 2 a.m. on Monday, the emergency center in Linz received a message that a fire had broken out in a kitchen in an apartment building and that there was still one person in the affected apartment. When the four fire brigades arrived a short time later, smoke was already coming from several windows.

A resident told the operations manager that there was another person who was unable to walk in bed in the heavily smoke-filled apartment. A first respiratory protection team was immediately dispatched to rescue people through the front door to the property. At the same time, another respiratory protection team gained access to the apartment via a ladder.

Some tenants were still asleep
The person who could not walk was quickly found there and taken from the apartment with a rescue blanket. The fire was then quickly extinguished. The person was handed over to the Red Cross and an ambulance and taken to a hospital after first aid. After that, it was necessary to rescue the residents, who were already standing at the windows but sometimes still asleep, with extra respiratory protection teams from the smoke-filled apartments. A total of six respiratory protection teams had to be deployed. The fire apartment and other apartments were so badly damaged by the fire and the heavy smoke that they are currently uninhabitable.

Electric wheelchair as a fire trigger?
The landlord provided alternative accommodation or the residents stayed with relatives. In addition to the four fire brigades, the Red Cross, including an emergency doctor and the police, were also present. According to the initial findings, the fire would have been caused by an electric walking aid. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by police. In total, more than 15 people had to be rescued from the building and cared for by emergency services. Work on the site was completed just before 6 a.m.