apolda
One fatality in fire at refugee shelter
The fire brigade fighting the flames in the refugee accommodation in Apolda. photo
© Johannes Krey/Jkfotografie&tv/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
A fire breaks out in a refugee camp in Thuringia: one person dies and a nine-year-old child is missing. The situation still leaves many questions unanswered.
In a fire in a refugee accommodation in the Thuringian city of Apolda, one person died on Sunday morning and several others were injured. A nine-year-old boy was still missing in the afternoon. The police emphasized that it would only be possible to determine with final certainty whether the dead person – as many suspected – was him after the forensic medical examination.
The fire broke out in the living area of the property early Sunday morning. According to the police, 245 people, including many children, had to leave the building. The information on the number of injured and affected fluctuated during the course of the day. Most recently, the police wrote in a message from eleven people who received medical treatment, nine came to a hospital.
According to the police, the Weimarer Land district office organized that the residents were provided with blankets, water and baby food on site. The people were finally taken by bus to an initial reception for refugees in nearby Hermsdorf. They should be accommodated there temporarily, said a spokeswoman for the district office.
The investigation into the cause of the fire was still ongoing as of Sunday afternoon. The public prosecutor’s office in Erfurt has initiated a so-called death investigation, said a police spokesman. This is the standard procedure in fatal fires. There must be no initial suspicion of a crime in the room. The police could not provide any information on Sunday about the extent of the damage to property.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) expressed her sympathy for those affected. “Investigations into the background are ongoing. The federal security authorities are in constant contact with the Thuringian police and are always ready to provide support,” she wrote on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) also expressed his dismay: “My thoughts are with the family and in mourning! A speedy recovery to all those injured,” he wrote on Twitter.