Full fire at Epplesee: Rheinstetten fire brigade is fighting the flames!

Full fire at Epplesee: Rheinstetten fire brigade is fighting the flames!

On the night of September 25, 2025, a devastating fire broke out in a restaurant on Epplesee in Rheinstetten, more precisely in the Forchheim district. The emergency call about the fire was reported to the integrated control center in Karlsruhe at 2:19 a.m. When the first fire brigade arrived, the restaurant was already fully ablaze. A full alarm was immediately raised for the Rheinstetten fire department.

Over 60 firefighters from the Rheinstetten and Ettlingen volunteer fire departments were involved in the large-scale operation, which took place under the direction of Thomas Bogenschütz. Deputy district fire chief Dominik Wolf was also on site to provide support. To ensure firefighting, several teams with breathing apparatus and four fire extinguishing pipes were deployed. Fireworld reports that the fire-fighting water supply was ensured via two hose lines that led to Epplesee, about 150 meters away.

Extensive extinguishing work

The extinguishing work was lengthy and challenging. The fire department also used a vehicle pump from another fire engine and a portable fire water pump. In addition, the roll-off respiratory protection container from the Ettlingen fire department was requested in order to have sufficient respiratory protection equipment available. Up to six respiratory protection teams were active throughout the entire operation.

The fire was reported as extinguished at around 3:54 a.m., but follow-up work to combat remaining embers began immediately afterwards. Due to the massive number of emergency services, the rescue service was also deployed with an organizational manager, an emergency vehicle and an ambulance to protect the emergency services. The German Red Cross (DRK) provided a local standby to supply the firefighters.

Damage and investigations

The cause of the fire is currently unclear and the criminal police have launched an investigation. The amount of damage is estimated at around 500,000 euros, according to the report Day24 according to the loss of the restaurant, which was completely burned out.

This announcement comes in the context of a comprehensive analysis of fire statistics worldwide, published in the current report № 29 of the CFS CTIF. The report includes numerous data and statistics on fire brigade operations and their consequences, which underlines the importance of the fire brigade and its operations. Fire statistics for 2022, collected in 55 countries, show that fires remain a serious threat and can provide important insights into the causes of fires, as stated in the report ctif.org is visible.