Large-scale operation: Boy (10) finds a World War II phosphor cup in the Eibsee - and takes it with him to holiday accommodation

Created: 08/13/2022, 06:43

By: Catherine Brumbauer

In a large-scale operation: The Grainau, Partenkirchen and Garmisch fire brigades and the rescue service move out to the young farmer's school in Grainau with around 200 men.

© Thomas Very

Large-scale operation by the fire brigade and rescue services in Grainau: A phosphorus can that a ten-year-old had found ignited by itself.

Grainau – The sirens sound from all directions.

The howl of sirens on Thursday evening around 6 p.m. heralds a large-scale operation.

Around 200 people from the Grainau, Partenkirchen and Garmisch fire brigades and the rescue service are deployed to the Grainau Young Farmers' School.

The fire alarm went off around 5:52 p.m.

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The background was initially unclear.

As it turned out at the scene, one room had started to smoke.

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Phosphorus box found in Eibsee: Bub (10) burns his hands

A ten-year-old boy found a phosphorus cup from World War II on a trip to the Eibsee and took it with him to the accommodation.

"A ten-year-old participant in a holiday camp discovered the rusty can in shallow water," said the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria South.

After he brought her to his room, she suddenly started smoking.

Phosphorus ignites and smokes on contact with oxygen, which is why the chemical has been used in incendiary bombs and flash and smoke grenades.

When the finder tried to carry the cup outside, he suffered severe burns on his hands.

He was taken to a hospital.

A nine-year-old girl suffered a slight shock from the excitement.

She also spent the night in the hospital.

The phosphorus can burned out completely.

© Police Headquarters Upper Bavaria South

According to police, the phosphorus cup came from US stocks.

Due to the smoke development, the seminar house had to be completely evacuated.

No one was injured by the toxic gases.

"The residents were then unable to return to the accommodation because the building was partially contaminated by the phosphorus smoke," said a spokesman for the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria South.

The extent of the contamination is still under investigation.

Children and caregivers of the holiday camp leave - young farmer school evacuated due to contamination

The supervisors of the holiday camp, together with the Red Cross and the fire brigade, informed the relatives of the boys and girls and arranged for them to be taken home.

The group of 70 gathered at the ice rink.

Children and carers who could not be picked up immediately were temporarily accommodated elsewhere.

The permanent criminal service of the Weilheim Criminal Police Inspectorate is investigating.

The explosive ordnance clearance service searched the site at Eibsee again.

So far, no further phosphorus doses have been found (as of Friday evening).

"We would like to point out once again that you should never take such items with you," explains Hansjörg Wiesböck from the health department. 

You can find more current news from the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen at Merkur.de/Garmisch-Partenkirchen.