Highway 8
Child is said to have set off fireworks in the car: the car burns out
A fire department vehicle. photo
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa/Symbolbild
A six-year-old is said to have started Bengalo fireworks inside a vehicle. Mother and child are taken to a hospital. The highway is closed for hours.
In the middle of Autobahn 8 near Stuttgart, a child is said to have lit fireworks in a car, causing a fire that left two people injured. As a police spokesman said on Thursday, the boy was in the back seat of the car along with several sparklers and Bengal fire sat in cars. He is said to have detonated one of the Bengalos near Stuttgart – the investigators were initially unable to say exactly how.
Fireworks cause smoke poisoning
The 39-year-old mother noticed the fire on Wednesday afternoon and then drove onto the shoulder. The investigators suspect that she then escaped from the car with her child and escaped outside. However, the two suffered minor injuries. They were taken to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.
When the emergency services arrived, the car was already fully ablaze. The A8 was closed several times during the subsequent fire-fighting and clean-up work. The damage caused is estimated at around 40,000 euros.
According to information, the fireworks were for a birthday. Sparklers and Bengalos therefore fall under the category of non-licensed fireworks. This means that their use is permitted all year round.