As of: March 25, 2024, 12:44 p.m
By: Maximilian Gang
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At least three people lost their lives in a house fire in Solingen on Monday (March 25).
A toddler remains missing at midday.
Solingen – Every second currently counts for the fire department.
The emergency services have been on duty in Solingen (NRW) since the early hours of the morning.
On Monday night (March 25th) a fire broke out in a building that was around 100 years old.
When the rescuers arrived on site, the flames were already blazing from the first floor of the apartment building.
For three people, any help came too late; they could only be rescued dead.
A small child was still missing in the morning - but the chance of survival is dwindling with every minute.
Family dies in house fire in Solingen – people jump out of windows
A firefighter fights a fire in an apartment building from a turntable ladder.
Three people, including a child, were killed in the house fire early Monday morning.
© Gianni Gattus/Blaulicht Solingen/dpa
Shortly before three o'clock, the fire department was alerted to the fire on Grünewalder Strasse in Solingen-Höhscheid.
When the emergency services arrived, the flames had already spread widely.
Operations manager Gottfried Kreuzberg describes dramatic scenes.
To escape the flames, a man with a small child in his arms jumped out of the building's window.
A woman also saw no other option to escape the fire.
One person landed on a car roof when jumping, even though the fire department had set up a jumping cushion.
Fire brigade finds three bodies in attic apartment - toddler is missing
Shortly before five o'clock, the fire department warned the population via the Nina app.
For a while, the emergency services were unable to reach the attic where the missing people were believed to be.
A special vehicle from Haan had to arrive to get into the building via the roof.
But help came too late and the missing people could only be found dead.
They are two adults and a child, presumably from the same family.
“Fire detectors would most likely have saved lives here,” a fire department spokesman told the
Bild
newspaper
.
However, a missing fire alarm was not initially officially confirmed.
The fire department searched feverishly for the missing toddler on Monday afternoon.
© David Young/dpa
The fire department also suspects the missing toddler was in the attic apartment.
Despite the danger of a partially burnt floor, the fire brigade began the search.
Sniffer dogs were also requested.
However, the search remained unsuccessful until mid-morning (as of 12 p.m.).
After around six hours of tireless work, the fire department was able to bring the apartment fire under control, said a fire department spokesman.
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21 people injured after fire in Solingen - the cause of the fire is still unclear
A total of 21 people sustained injuries as a result of the fire, nine of them seriously or moderately, while twelve others are considered to be slightly injured.
Some of them were taken to hospitals.
The city of Solingen provided a bus for quick accommodation for the other residents.
Emergency pastors were also on site.
According to a fire department spokesman, the four-story old building was massively destroyed by the fire.
Stairs collapsed, it was said.
The flames had spread very quickly in the old house with wooden ceilings and a wooden staircase.
According to its own information, the fire department had around 100 emergency services on site at times.
How exactly the devastating fire could have occurred initially remained unclear.
The police have started investigations.
“Day of mourning”: Solingen’s mayor comments after the fire disaster
Solingen's mayor Tim Kurzbach (SPD) spoke of a "day of mourning for our entire city" in view of the fatal fire.
And further: “I can hardly put into words how sad I am today.
Especially when I think about the children, one is dead, one is still missing.
They had their whole lives ahead of them and today it came to an end far too soon.” Mourning flags waved in front of the Solingen town hall on Monday.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) also expressed his condolences: “My thoughts are with those who lost their lives in the fire and with their relatives.”
(mg, with dpa)