Seven fire brigades moved out in Ansfelden (Linz-Land district) on Sunday night following a fire broke out in an apartment building. Three people were hospitalized with smoke poisoning, the Ansfelden fire department said on Sunday morning. It is regarding the two residents of the affected apartment on the top floor, who were able to save themselves, and an elderly neighbor who was brought outside by the fire brigade.
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At around 3:41 a.m., a 44-year-old resident of the neighboring house alerted the fire brigade. The Bosnian noticed the smoke and flames, police said. When the emergency services arrived, the apartment in the district of Haid was already on fire. The fire also spread to the roof. The firefighters were able to prevent further spread, but the apartment burned out completely. Brandaus was reported at 7 a.m. In addition to the Ansfelden fire brigade, six other fire brigades were deployed.
Emergency quarters in the community hall
The house was initially described as uninhabitable. A total of 29 residents of 36 apartments had to be evacuated, and the municipality was looking for alternative quarters for them. After the fire, the other residents of the house were taken to the community hall, where camp beds had been set up. There they were given food and drink.
The first good news in the morning: Two of the three house entrances were not affected by the fire and were released once more, says Ansfelden Mayor Christian Partoll (FP): “So the affected residents can go back to their apartments.”
“A Sad Event”
The residents of the ten apartments that are in the same section of the building as the fire apartment cannot return for the time being. “Next week, an expert will clarify the extent of the damage and whether the apartments can be occupied once more,” says Partoll.
Until then, the municipality organized accommodation in the Gasthof Stockinger. “We also have vacant cooperative apartments in Ansfelden that we can offer to those affected in an emergency. Next week will show whether this will be necessary,” says the mayor. He thanked the emergency services: “It was a sad event on Easter Sunday, but it might have been much worse. We owe the fire brigade and the other emergency organizations that no one died.”
200,000 euros damage
The cause of the fire has also been clear since Sunday followingnoon: According to the police, two hotplates that were switched on triggered the fire. Officials from the State Criminal Police Office and an expert examined the scene of the fire on Sunday and came to this conclusion. According to initial estimates, the damage amounts to around 200,000 euros. The public prosecutor’s office in Linz is reported on suspicion of “negligently causing a conflagration”.
Author
Valentin Bayer
Editor Upper Austria
Valentin Bayer
