On the island of Rügen, there was a huge explosion in a holiday paradise on Friday morning. The damage runs into the millions.
Update from May 27, 14:01 p.m.: An explosion in a holiday home shook the holiday island of Rügen on Friday morning (26 May). "It rumbled like an earthquake. I saw a woman screaming for help," a tourist from Bochum told Bild. "The earth shook," another witness confirmed to RTL. Local residents also reported that the force of the explosion could still be felt several kilometers away.
Update from May 27, 9:50 a.m.: After the explosion in a holiday home on the island of Rügen, the police are investigating on suspicion of negligent arson. As a police spokeswoman told the German Press Agency (dpa) on Saturday (27 May), investigations had shown that there had recently been work on the gas pipeline and the gas meter of the holiday home. The public prosecutor's office has therefore ordered the use of a fire expert. He is to take a look at the scene of the accident in Putgarten at the weekend.
According to the current status, at least 13 neighboring houses and several cars are said to have been damaged in the explosion. The clean-up is scheduled to continue over the weekend.
After an explosion, a fire broke out in Putgarten in the north of the island of Rügen on Friday morning and destroyed several houses. © Stefan Sauer/dpa
Explosion on Rügen: Millions of dollars in damage in holiday resort – expert names possible cause
Update from May 26, 17:46 p.m.: The search continues to determine the cause of the explosion of a holiday home on Rügen. According to experts, human error cannot be ruled out, reports the Ostsee-Zeitung. So far, it is suspected that a gas heating system exploded in the domicile, which was uninhabited at the time.
"Gas heaters are usually safe," Steffen Bobsien, deputy chief master of the chimney sweep guild of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told the newspaper. Especially since the equipment is checked annually and the regulations for the inspectors are very strict, as Bobsien explains. Therefore, experts suspect that the lines have been manipulated in advance or damaged by construction work. No one was injured in the explosion on Friday morning (26 May), but the holiday home and other buildings were destroyed.
The fire brigade is at the scene of the fire. After an explosion, a fire broke out in Putgarten in the north of the island of Rügen in the morning. © Stefan Sauer/dpa
Explosion on Rügen: Fire jumped to the thatched roof of the neighboring house – probably a million euros in damage
Update from May 26, 14:03 p.m.: On the northern part of the island of Rügen, a fire broke out after an explosion in Putgarten on Friday morning and destroyed several houses. Initial investigations by the police revealed that a gas heater allegedly exploded in a holiday home that was uninhabited at the time. The debris flew several meters and damaged several other houses in the holiday home complex on the outskirts of the village and also two parked cars. The total damage was given by a police spokesman with at least one million euros. This is an initial estimate.
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The fire after the explosion first engulfed a second thatched house, which also burned to its full extent in a few minutes, and then a neighboring apartment building. Its inhabitants were able to save themselves by fleeing quickly. The police spoke of five people who were able to flee in time.
Explosion on Rügen: Police are examining information on previous work on the gas pipeline
During the investigation, it became known that only recently there was work on the gas pipeline and the gas meter of the cottage, where the explosion occurred. Now it will be checked whether someone caused the explosion negligently or whether there was a technical defect. Further details are not yet known, according to police. Hardly anything remained of the house. The force of the explosion was still felt several kilometers away, residents said.
About 70 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to other thatched buildings. The municipality set up a meeting place for the affected residents at the culture barn. The houses in Putgarten, a few meters from the northern tip of Rügen with Cape Arkona, have mostly reed-covered roofs, which are particularly at risk of fire. The place is considered a tourist magnet on Germany's largest Baltic Sea island.
Fire inferno on the island of Rügen: Explosion in holiday home causes major fire
First reported on May 26, 11:34 a.m.: Rügen – Residents of the Baltic Sea island of Rügen (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) were torn out of bed by a huge crash on Friday morning. The explosion occurred at a summer cottage. This sparked a major fire that spread to several houses in the holiday settlement. A police spokesman estimates the damage to be at least one million euros. A total of 15 houses in the area were damaged, according to the police report.
Explosion in Putgarten on the island of Rügen: An explosion occurred in a holiday home – a total of 15 houses were damaged. © Stefan Sauer/dpa
The thatched roofs quickly caught fire. In a few minutes, the second house burned, and shortly afterwards the third. Five residents reacted quickly enough and were able to flee from the flames, police said. Around 70 firefighters were deployed to prevent the flames from spreading further and extinguish the fire. Police are asking residents to keep doors and windows closed due to smoke.
"Fortunately, no one was injured," Mayor Iris Möbius (CDU) told the German Press Agency. The municipality has set up a meeting place for the residents, who are accommodated in the culture barn.
Presumably, a gas heater exploded in a currently uninhabited holiday home, according to initial police investigations. Debris and stones are said to have shot meters high through the air. It became known that work was probably only recently carried out on the gas meter and the gas pipeline of the exploded house.
Explosion in Putgarten negligently caused? Police investigate suspicion
Someone could have caused the explosion through negligence, the authorities are investigating this suspicion. A technical defect is also conceivable.
The municipality of Putgarten is located at the northern tip of Rügen. Many houses are used by tourists or as holiday homes. Almost all of them have roofs covered with reeds, which catch fire particularly easily.
It was only in March that a fire drama occurred on the Baltic Sea island. A grandfather and his dog died in a fire in a gazebo. (moe/kh/dpa)