A devastating fire broke out in an animal shelter in northern Bavaria.
Around 60 animals could no longer be saved.
Including many cats.
Münnerstadt - The Wannigsmühle animal shelter is located near Münnerstadt in the Lower Franconian district of Bad Kissingen. * The fire was noticed on Wednesday evening around 8:20 p.m.
The police wrote: “The first desperate emergency call reached the operations center of the Lower Franconia police headquarters at around 20:20.
The witness described the dramatic situation on site with audible shock.
At this point thick smoke was already coming out of the building and open flames could be seen behind the windows.
The first window panes burst due to the great heat. "
Deadly fire in the Wannigsmühle animal shelter: over 60 animals die in the flames
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The smoke column is visible from afar: More than 60 animals perish in this fire in the Wannigsmühle animal shelter.
© NEWS5 / Huppmann
Several fire brigades moved on to a large-scale operation.
“When the fire brigade arrived, the roof was already on fire,” says district fire chief Alexander Marks.
The emergency services extinguished and penetrated the building to save as many animals as possible.
But any help came too late for the pets housed upstairs.
"I only thought of the cats, but nobody let us in," says animal shelter Ursula Böhm.
There were "a lot of mom cats with their babies".
They must all have fallen victim to the flames.
At about 8.30 p.m. she arrived at the animal shelter, she had already seen the column of smoke from a distance.
Bad fire in animal shelter in Lower Franconia: police are investigating the cause of the fire
The police count more than 60 dead animals and are now investigating the cause of the fire.
This is still completely unclear.
During the extinguishing work, other parts of the building collapsed.
The house can no longer be saved.
If you want to donate, you can only reach the Wannigsmühle animal shelter online (external link).
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