The heat that developed during a car fire on Bonner Talweg in Kessenich on Saturday morning must have been enormous. The traces are still visible on Monday. The façade of two apartment buildings close to the car is black with soot up to the upper floors. On the ground floor of one flat, the windows are broken and plywood boards have been provisionally inserted. Unlike the others, the fire brigade has initially declared this flat uninhabitable. The tenants were not at home at the time of the fire and should be notified by the landlord.

"The flames were metres high. The dense smoke drifted over the house," recalls a resident of the two houses that were particularly affected. The 26-year-old was taking out the rubbish when she saw the driver of the car, a neighbour and a boy standing in the street next to the already burning car. "They were pretty panicked. I quickly went up to my flat, grabbed my keys and mobile phone, and then got out again," the 26-year-old reports. As she looked at the flames growing higher, she said she was "already saying goodbye to the house". All the more fortunate that the fire brigade - the residents had already left their homes - was able to prevent the flames from spreading to the other houses.

As reported, the driver had noticed a smell of burning inside the car. She parked the Volkswagen van, which she was using for moving house that day, in Bonner Talweg in front of houses 298 and 300 at around 11.30 am. Police spokesman Simon Rott told the GA on Monday that investigators were assuming a technical defect. The exact cause was still being investigated, he added. In addition to the van, the car in front and behind it as well as vehicles parked opposite were damaged. The residents of the two houses opposite said that the heat had deformed the shutters and window frames. A fire expert has been appointed.

According to the ADAC Nordrhein, vehicle fires are among the rarest types of accidents and breakdowns. The German Insurance Association counts about 40,000 vehicle fires per year throughout Germany. The local police do not collect regional figures for these cases. Only criminal fire cases are recorded in the accident statistics. Regarding possible causes that can lead to a car fire, ADAC spokesman Thomas Müther said: "A fire can occur because of a short circuit in the electrical system or a brake that has run hot. There is also a risk of fire if fuel types or the tank are damaged and petrol or diesel contained in them ignites." According to the police, the driver had refuelled the van shortly before.

Müther went on to explain that fuels only burn on the surface. "A fire in a car usually spreads only slowly." An explosion is very unlikely, he said, and this also applies to electric-powered cars. That is why there is usually enough time for outsiders to rescue passengers after an accident, for example. It takes several minutes before a car is on fire. If there is a smell of burning, smoke under the bonnet or combustion gases entering the passenger compartment, the occupants should remain as calm as possible. If the car is rolling on the road, the driver should not risk any hectic driving manoeuvres, switch on the hazard warning lights and pull over. Then leave the vehicle quickly and call 112.

Original text: Philipp Königs

Translation: Mareike Graepel