Smoke detector saves man in Althofen: He slept with the stove on!

Smoke detector saves man in Althofen: He slept with the stove on!

A dangerous incident occurred in Althofen at night that required the quick action of an attentive neighbor. On March 1, 2025, at around 1:00 a.m., a 41-year-old man wanted to heat water in a cooking pot in his apartment while he was relaxing in the bedroom with the television. Unfortunately, the man didn't turn off the stove and fell asleep. How fireworld.at reported that heavy smoke began to develop, which activated the home smoke detector at around 1:15 a.m.

The 33-year-old neighbor became aware of the alarm and immediately called the fire department emergency number. This quick reaction potentially saved lives, as the Althofen volunteer fire department was quickly on the scene with 25 emergency services. After knocking several times, the man finally opened the door, but heavy smoke could already be noticed in the apartment. Firefighters used breathing apparatus to investigate, while the apartment owner received medical care until emergency services arrived. Loud kleinezeitung.at The man was taken to Friesach Hospital with suspected smoke poisoning.

Repeated fire service operations

This incident is not the first of its kind in Carinthia: There was a similar incident recently in which a man also fell asleep while cooking. This is actually the third fire service operation in this apartment in just two months. A circumstance that is likely to worry both the emergency services and the neighborhood. While the cause of the incident is still being investigated, it remains to be seen whether any costs or damage were incurred as a result of the fire service operation.