Fire in the retirement home: Technical defect triggers evacuation!

Fire in the retirement home: Technical defect triggers evacuation!

on Thursday evening, May 22, 2025, there was a fire on the first floor of a retirement home in the Vöcklabruck district, Upper Austria. The Vöcklabruck fire brigade received the alarm at 6:45 p.m. and was immediately sent to the fire site with eight vehicles and 44 emergency services. During the evacuation, the residents of the affected living area were medical care by the nursing staff and the fire brigade.

A total of four people with light flue gas poisoning were brought to the Salzkammergut Clinic Vöcklabruck. The cause of the fire took place on May 23, 2025 by the State Criminal Police Office OÖ, Vöcklabruck, in collaboration with a fire expert. The investigations showed that a technical defect of a battery -operated electrical device was most likely the cause of the fire, while external negligence could be excluded. An exact amount of damage has not yet been announced.

The challenges of fire protection in old people's homes

The operators of nursing and old people's homes are extremely responsible for the fire protection of their facilities. The challenges in these institutions are particularly diverse, since many residents have physical or mental restrictions, which makes evacuation considerably more difficult in the event of a fire. Figures show that 70 % of the fire victims are surprised in sleep, with most of the fires break out between 6 p.m. and midnight in the rooms of the residents. Every year around 120 fires occur in German old people's homes, in which about 20 people lose their lives ( weka.de ).

The most common causes of fire in nursing homes are defective electrical appliances, negligent behavior, such as smoking in bed, and intent. In this context, extensive fire protection measures are of crucial importance. These include bans, the restriction of private electrical appliances and the training of at least 5 % of the staff. In addition, fire protection officers should be employed in the facilities in order to carry out regular checks and training courses ( tuvsud.com ).

important preventive measures

To ensure optimal protection, a combination of different organizational, structural and technical measures is necessary. These include, for example, modern fire registration systems, demanding structural fire protection, such as escape routes and fire protection doors, as well as regular fire protection exercises for the staff. In many modern buildings, great importance is placed on the use of non -flammable materials to minimize the fire load and increase the safety of the residents.