Entry basement fire in Essen: 119 residents in danger!

Entry basement fire in Essen: 119 residents in danger!

On Monday afternoon, December 15, 2024, the fire brigade in Essen was called for a significant fire service after callers reported a strong smoke from the basement of an apartment building on Geschwister-Scholl-Straße. When the first emergency services arrived, flames already hit a basement window of the eight -storey building, while thick black smoke penetrated from several basement openings. The escape route for the 119 residents was blocked, many of the residents desperately tried to signal help from windows and balconies. The fire brigade decided to start an outdoor attack immediately and at the same time dispatched a squad to look for remaining people in the smoky staircase, reports fireworld.at .

The terrain was difficult to handle because there were burning car tires in the basement that caused additional smoke development. At the same time, several respiratory protection teams were performing to fight the flames. A total of around 80 forces from the professional fire brigade and volunteer weirs were deployed to suffocate the embers with extinguishing foam. After completing the extinguishing work, the building was extensively ventilated to avoid dangerous flue gas concentrations. According to the first medical examinations, three people with mild flue gas poisoning had to be transported to the hospital, while the fire brigade organized emergency shelters for the countless affected people. The city of Essen provided emergency accommodation for 45 people, including many children, as in the report of Feuerwehrmagazin.de

The extinguishing work took about five hours in which all apartments in the house were checked. The emergency services were able to safely lead all residents out of the building and offer them medical help. Despite the parallel challenges, the firefighters were able to act quickly and prevent an even greater disaster while the police initiated the investigation into the cause of the fire.