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Fire truck from the City of Essen. Photo: Wikipedia
21 Feb 2022

150 firefighters responded to a large wind driven apartment building fire in Essen, Germany

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On Monday, a large fire occurred in an apartment building in the German city of Essen. 100 people were evacuated from the building. 

Susanne Klatt
CTIF member Susanne Klatt (to the right in this photo) was among the first on the scene and will tell us more about this large operation in coming days. 

Three people have been taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation. 

According to local newsmedia, remaining wind gusts from the storms that have hit northern Europe in recent days may have helped the fire spread more quickly. 

The fire allegedly started on one a balcony, and is thought to have spread along other balconies. The insulation is not thought to have been contributing to the fire. The fire likely spread into apartments through broken windows.

According to the Essen fire service, the fire was under control already by Monday morning. The building is now structurally compromised and could collapse. 

According to German news site WDR,  39 apartments were destroyed in the fire, and due to the structural instability a remote controlled search & rescue robot was used to ensure no victims were left inside.

 

Photo Credit (Cover Photo Above): A fire vehicle from the fire service of Essen, Germany. Photo: Wikipedia