putgarten
Cause of explosion on Rügen still unclear
This vacation home didn’t escape the blast unscathed. photo
© Stefan Sauer/dpa
After the explosion with fire in the north of the island of Rügen, the clean-up work is slowly beginning – made more difficult by onlookers. The investigations are also underway, but could take longer.
Three days after the gas explosion and the fire in Putgarten on the island of Rügen, the exact cause of the explosion is still unclear. A technical expert, after examining the ruins, has so far assumed a technical defect, as a police spokesman said today.
The police had released the scene of the accident after the assessment yesterday. She estimated the total damage at more than one million euros.
The clean-up work in the holiday home settlement is only slowly starting, as Mayor Iris Möbius (CDU) said. It was the worst misfortune that the 200-inhabitant community at Cape Arkona had hit so far.
Some of the residents around the two destroyed holiday homes are currently pulling barrier tape again to defend themselves against onlookers at Pentecost. Some even drive their cars into the cul-de-sac on the outskirts to take photos of the rubble landscape in the settlement.
Working on the gas line as a trigger?
A holiday home in the holiday resort in Putgarten exploded on Friday morning. Large pieces of debris flew several hundred meters and damaged at least 13 neighboring houses and several cars. After that, a fire broke out. It further destroyed the ruins and also hit a neighboring house that was covered with reeds. Luckily, no one got hurt.
In the search for the exact cause of the explosion, complex analyzes are now required. According to the police, a short time ago there was work on the gas line and the gas meter of the exploded holiday home, which belongs to a man from Leipzig. He had also wanted to come to Putgarten at Pentecost. Investigators suspect that the heating had turned on automatically on Friday morning, which could have led to the explosion.
The fire and explosion surveyor recovered several items from the home’s gas supply system. These must now be analyzed to clarify whether the material had a defect or whether there were problems during installation. Police and public prosecutors continue to investigate suspected negligent arson.