Drama in Melle: Horse stable burns down - five animals succumb to the flames!

Drama in Melle: Horse stable burns down - five animals succumb to the flames!

in Melle, in the Krukum district, there was a devastating fire in a horse stable on the night of June 10, 2025. According to [Fireworld] (https://www.fireworld.at/2025/06/10/d-zwei-ichehtehte-bei-vollbrand-eines-pferdestals in-melle-%86%92-Mindval at the latest, the assignment was started at around 03:30 a.m. Heavy smoke development in the street Allee reported. When the fire brigade and police arrived at the scene of the fire, the stable was already in full fire.

A total of eleven horses lived in the stable. Despite the rapid reaction of the emergency services, there was a tragic loss: at least five animals could not be saved. The stable owner, a 28-year-old woman, managed to bring a horse to safety. In addition, a 72-year-old resident helped and saved several other animals, but both women suffered minor injuries from flue gasinhalation and burns. The older woman was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

challenges in stable fires

The extinguishing work went into the morning and property damage of around 80,000 euros was found. The police have confiscated the fire location and is now investigating the cause of the fire. Stable fires like this are unfortunately not uncommon in Germany. Every year over a hundred thousand animals lose their lives in such incidents, for example through technical defects, overheating or arson, as the Albert Schweitzer Foundation reports.

modern animal husbandry, often shaped by inexpensive mass production, often neglects fire protection. Many stable constructions are susceptible to fire dangers because they are often built with combustible materials and offer insufficient escape options for the animals. It is particularly tragic that animals are often kept low in movement in such systems, which makes their rescue even more difficult in the event of a fire.

necessary measures for animal welfare

An improvement in fire protection measures is often considered unprofitable by the animal owners, although many stable fires could be prevented by regular maintenance and safer storage of inflammable materials. Political initiatives to improve fire protection in stalls are progressing only slowly, but corresponding measures are still anchored in the current coalition agreement.

The events in Melle throw a light on the grievances in animal -keeping agriculture. In order to increase the chances of survival of the animals, basic reforms in fire protection and animal husbandry are essential. Animals should not only be regarded as cost-benefit factors, which requires significant change in the industry.