Reutlingen
Search for cause of deadly fire at nursing home
The cause of the fire in a facility for mentally ill people is still unclear. photo
© Kohls/SDMG/dpa
A devastating fire breaks out in a Reutlingen care facility for the mentally ill. Three people die and twelve others are injured, some seriously. But what caused the fire?
After the fire disaster in a nursing home for mentally ill people in Reutlingen, where three residents died, the cause of the fire is still unclear. Several police fire investigators were to drive to the scene of the fire early Wednesday morning to continue looking for clues, a police spokesman said. A first briefing is scheduled for the morning.
The fire broke out in a living area on the first floor and, according to the fire brigade’s operations manager, Martin Reicherter, was limited to a patient’s room. “It was a huge mental strain for the squads that were in there, too,” he said. “We have alerted our psychological aftercare.”
According to police information from early Wednesday morning, the three dead are a 53-year-old woman and two men aged 73 and 88. According to the first findings of the rescue services, they died from smoke inhalation.
Dramatic local situation
According to the head emergency doctor, two other people were in mortal danger during the rescue. However, this was not confirmed later. According to a police spokesman, the situation on site was still dramatic. In the hospital there was then a cautious all-clear, he said early Wednesday morning.
Of the two people who are no longer in mortal danger, a 57-year-old woman is still considered seriously injured. The other victim suffered minor injuries, according to the new information. Ten other people were also slightly injured, police said. Earlier information from the rescue service on the number and severity of injuries was subsequently corrected.
The Mayor of Reutlingen, Thomas Keck (SPD), was shocked after the fire. “It’s a black evening for Reutlingen,” he said on Tuesday evening at the press conference at the scene of the accident. The managing director of the facility, Gerhard Längle, said: “It is simply a disaster.”
The social-psychiatric care facility is home to mentally ill people who need care at the same time. According to the medical director of the home, it is a facility that provides integration assistance for mentally ill people who are at least 50 years old. They live there long term.
According to the police, there were 37 residents and 5 nurses in the building at the time the fire broke out. The part of the building affected by the fire is no longer habitable. After examination and treatment, the eleven slightly injured were taken to a psychiatric clinic and cared for there. According to initial estimates, the amount of damage should be in the six-digit range.