Apartment building uninhabitable for the time being Fire department rescues 29 people from fire in Rüngsdorf
Bad Godesberg · Firefighters rescued 29 people from a smoke-filled house early Thursday morning. Five of them were seriously injured. Now the police are looking for witnesses.
Firefighters rescued 29 residents from a fire in an apartment building in Rüngsdorf early Thursday morning. Police sealed off the area that had been affected by the fire and put out a press release asking anyone who had observed anything to please contact them.
The fire department was dispatched to Clara-Wieck-Strasse in Rüngsdorf early Thursday morning because of heavy smoke. It was around 2:47 am when residents of the apartment building made the phone call to authorities.
According to the firefighters who responded to the call, numerous residents were standing at the window or on the balcony waiting to be rescued when they arrived. No one was able to evacuate the building without help from the firefighters on the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters immediately increased the alarm level and called for backup. They then set up portable ladders and rescued 29 people. Five of those who were rescued received further treatment in hospital and are thought to have suffered from smoke inhalation.
Several firefighting teams used respiratory protection as they searched the stairwell and the basement for injured persons. Then they began extinguishing the fire from the inside.
Firefighters also tackled the flames through the basement shafts. They said the high temperatures in the rooms made it difficult. Initial reports from the fire department say that enormous heat had built up in the basement area. While they were fighting the fire, they saw cracks at the base of the building, some of which extended to the second floor. To ensure the safety of the firefighting crews, they flooded the building with foam.
According to the fire department, the building is uninhabitable for the time being. Residents who did not require treatment in the hospital were taken by a public transport bus from SWB to an emergency shelter organized by the social welfare office. The cause of the fire remains unclear; police cordoned off the scene. The Bonn Criminal Investigation Department and the Bonn Public Prosecutor's Office have begun initial investigations at the site and at the shelter set up for the residents, police reported. A total of 40 people are registered as residents of the apartment building, according to police. It has been completely evacuated. The five seriously injured persons were still being treated in hospital.
Anyone who might have information or may have witnessed something in connection with the fire is asked to please contact the criminal investigation unit at 0228-150.
