Enlarge image
Fire brigade operation in Apolda (photo from August 29): Fire probably caused by arson
Photo: Bodo Schackow / dpa
Details of the investigation have become known two days after the serious house fire in which four people died in Apolda, Thuringia.
Recordings from a surveillance camera at the scene of the fire put the investigators on the trail of the suspect, according to Hannes Grünseisen, spokesman for the Erfurt public prosecutor's office.
These showed the man with petrol cans in his hand entering the house, said Grünseisen, thereby confirming an MDR report.
The police had spoken of witnesses to the man and photos on Monday.
Four dead, numerous injured
Meanwhile, an arrest warrant has been issued for the suspected arsonist.
The district court of Erfurt followed the request of the public prosecutor's office in Erfurt, Grünseisen said.
The 35-year-old man, who was provisionally arrested on Monday, is being investigated for murder and arson.
He was brought before the magistrate on Tuesday afternoon and was to be remanded in custody after the arrest warrant had been issued.
A 53-year-old man and three other previously unidentified people died in the fire in the apartment building early Sunday morning.
Almost two dozen people were injured, some seriously, including children.
The firefighters rescued 30 people from the burning house.
The suspect went to the police in Jena on Monday of his own accord – according to Grünseisen, however, because of a different situation.
There he was temporarily arrested.
The police and Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) initially announced on Monday that he had volunteered there.
According to Grünseisen, murder is a criminal offense if a "dangerous" means that can kill or endanger people is involved.
This is the case with a fire that can spread uncontrollably.
Property damage of around two million euros
According to the police, the fire investigators were still unable to enter the ruins of the large apartment building, which is located just outside the city center, on Tuesday.
According to the police, the release by a statics expert is still missing.
A city spokesman said that the first people who had lost their homes in the fire had been assigned new apartments.
According to the information, those affected initially stayed with relatives or acquaintances, and some were also admitted to the Evangelical community center.
There is a fundraiser for the victims of the fire, and the city has set up an account.
According to the city administration, only Bulgarian citizens lived in the house, and the house owner was also Bulgarian.
The same applies to the alleged perpetrator.
A fire department spokesman spoke of 44 people reported in the house and five guests at the time of the fire.
The property damage caused by the fire had been estimated by the police at around two million euros.
bbr/dpa