Two children die tragically at apartment fire in Gmünd

Two children die tragically at apartment fire in Gmünd

In a tragic incident, a devastating apartment fire occurred on April 26, 2025 in a multi -party house in Gmünd, Lower Austria. The fire was reported immediately, which resulted in the alarms of several volunteers. Among the units were the fire brigades from the city of Gmünd, Gmünd-Eisenstein, Gmünd-Breitensee, Waldenstein, Dietmanns, Hoheneich, Albrechts and the city of Schrems. In the alarm, there were already references to missing persons in the fire object, such as [fireworld.at] (https://www.fireworld.at/2025/26/noe-zwei-tote-kinder-wohnungsbrand-in- Mehrartiehaus-in-gmuend/)

The fire brigade's forces immediately started the fire fighting and the search for the missing persons. Tragically, two children were found in the fire apartment. Despite intensive resuscitation measures, no signs of life were found in the children. Another person suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital by rescue helicopter. In addition, a strong smoke development was recorded, which led to further rescue measures for other residents. These were saved from the smoky staircase via a lifting device and fire escape hoods.

emergency services and rescue measures

In total, more than 100 fire brigade members were deployed. Five people were brought into surrounding hospitals with suspicion of flue gas poisoning. On site, 16 members of the emergency services and 10 police officers provided valuable support. The medical and psychological support of the residents concerned was ensured by an acute team from Notruf Lower Austria, the crisis intervention team of the Red Cross Lower Austria and a team of fire brigade peers. The identity of the deceased children has not yet been published, and Details on the circumstances of the fire are not yet known, such as noe.orf.at

The cause of the fire is currently the subject of police investigations. The tragedy illustrates the dangers associated with apartment fires and underlines the need for preventive measures in fire protection. In this context, it is interesting to observe developments in the field of fire protection. The Center for Fire Statistics of the CTIF regularly reports on fire risks worldwide. In the current report, the trends of the past 100 years were analyzed and urban fire risks were examined. This data is of crucial importance to increase security in urban areas and to prevent similar incidents, such as those in Gmünd, such as on ctif.org.