Solothurn house fire

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The Solothurn house fire is a fire that occurred on November 26, 2018 in Solothurn , Switzerland . It claimed seven lives and is considered the worst fire event in Switzerland in decades. It sparked a discussion about the duty of smoke detectors .

Course of events

A resident of an apartment building at Wengistrasse 40 noticed smoke in the stairwell of the apartment building at around 2:10 a.m. on November 26, 2018. He immediately triggered the alarm, whereupon the fire brigade moved out with a large contingent and with 60 people arrived at the fire place within a short time. She contained the fire on the ground floor and rescued 19 people from the upper floors using ladders and breathing apparatus. A safety cushion could not be set up due to the heat on the ground floor. At times the neighboring house also had to be evacuated. Despite the relatively small fire, which was limited to an apartment on the ground floor, heavy smoke was formed. He also moved to the upper floors of the building and the apartments located there.

The first phase of the mission could be completed towards daybreak. At 6.30 a.m., the Solothurn canton police published a first press release. She wrote about a fire in the city of Solothurn that "claimed six lives, including children". Several people were admitted to the surrounding hospitals.

After the extinguishing work, fire investigators started work. The fire object was fenced in. A total of 20 people from the cantonal police took part in the investigation. On the evening of the day of the fire, the first findings on the cause of the fire became known. The fire was triggered by the "improper handling of smoked goods". One person was arrested in the course of the investigation. The public prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation against this person for multiple negligent homicide, multiple negligent bodily harm and for negligent causing of a conflagration.

The day after the fire, the police released further information. In the fire, four adults and two children were killed at the scene. Three other children are still in a hospital. Two of them are seriously injured and one is moderately injured. On the following November 28, it was announced that another child had died from the injuries. Thus the number of deaths increased to seven. The arrested person has since been released from custody. She admitted that she smoked in bed. She is being cared for in an unknown location.

building

The affected building is an old multi-family house with several apartments on five floors near the old town of Solothurn. It had been created according to the then common fire protection regulations and was therefore not equipped with a fire extinguisher , fire alarm system or smoke alarm detector .

In the property affected by the fire, the canton of Solothurn rented two floors, a total of four apartments, to accommodate asylum seekers . A total of eleven people from the asylum area were housed there. At the time of the fire, there were over 20 people in the building.

Victim

The fatalities are four adults between the ages of 27 and 33 and three children of preschool and school age. These belonged to two families seeking asylum, one from Eritrea and the other from Ethiopia . The latter was housed in the house by the canton. Two other children of the Ethiopian family were injured and domestic heating to orphans .

Causes of death

Two factors can be assumed to be the cause of death: death from smoke gases or from escaping the fire object.

As mentioned, the fire on the ground floor caused a lot of smoke that entered the upper apartments through the stairwell . The stairwell had no windows, no smoke vent or smoke alarm detectors . The fire on the ground floor caused it to fill with smoke within a short time. The inside of the house did not particularly favor the development of fire and smoke, according to the findings of the first investigations. However, most of the victims were found in the house, and the thick smoke was their undoing. This is fatal within a short time, only a few breaths are enough to reach the state of unconsciousness . There is also no urge to cough , so that one dies of suffocation while sleeping .

A toddler and an adult were found in front of the house, both of whom had fled through a window. The adult was killed, the toddler survived. It is still unclear what led to the death of the adult.

discussion

Duty of smoke alarms

Internationally, Switzerland is seen as a role model when it comes to fire protection. Nowadays, automatic smoke extractors and tight doors are standard, especially in closed stairwells. However, properties only need to be upgraded when renovating. However, in Switzerland, smoke detectors are not required by law in private homes. A mandatory smoke detector was last checked in 2015. At that time, the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurance Companies, together with ETH Zurich, came to the conclusion that an obligation would make no sense. The costs for a nationwide introduction were listed. According to studies, this would amount to 63 million Swiss francs annually, which could save an estimated five lives.

The study concluded that the costs were too high compared to the number of people who could be rescued with an obligation. In 2017, 14 people died in a fire across Switzerland. On average there are around 20 people a year. So it remained with a recommendation for the private installation of fire alarms.

Due to the size of the fire in Solothurn, the first voices were voiced on the day of the fire to make smoke detectors mandatory . In the wake of the fire, the Swiss Fire Brigade Association (SFV) demanded that smoke alarms be mandatory, as is already the case in other countries. Various politicians countered this, including Bernhard Guhl from the Civil Democratic Party , who appealed to individual responsibility. He sees an increase in rent in the compulsory part, since an installation is associated with considerable effort and costs. Nevertheless, he would recommend the devices to any landlord. The mother of the alleged cause of the fire also spoke up after the fire and spoke out in favor of stricter fire protection regulations.

Adaptation of the fire protection regulations for asylum shelters

At the beginning of December 2018, in connection with the fire disaster in Solothurn, it was also announced that official regulations provide for exceptions to the fire protection regulations for refugee accommodation. These emerged in connection with the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015 , whereby the Swiss fire protection regulations were adapted due to the scarcity of suitable accommodation for refugees.

From December 23, 2015, the regulations only provided for a security service or full surveillance by means of a fire alarm system if there were 100 asylum seekers . In hotels in Switzerland this is mandatory for 50 or more beds. At the same time, occupancy rates for accommodation and escape route lengths were increased. The resolution was extended by two years at the end of 2017. However, the changed fire protection regulations did not apply to the Solothurn building, as it accommodated fewer asylum seekers.

context

In connection with the house fire in Solothurn, two events were picked up several times in the media.

  • In a fire disaster in Gretzenbach , not far from Solothurn , seven firefighters died on November 27, 2004. After a vehicle fire in an underground car park , the ceiling collapsed while the fire was being extinguished. Investigations showed that the ceiling of the underground car park, built in 1989, was too heavily covered with earth and the statics were incorrectly calculated. The fire played no role in the collapse. Nevertheless, this fire was mentioned in the media in connection with the house fire in Solothurn.
  • On July 25, 1921, nine girls and one boy between the ages of 3 and 13 drowned when a jetty at the Solothurn women's bathing facility collapsed . Until the house fire on November 26, 2018, the city of Solothurn did not experience an incident of this magnitude and with numerous underage victims.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 19 Rescues, that is a "fabulous achievement" and yet ... In: az Solothurner Zeitung . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Switzerland: Six dead after fire in residential building . In: Spiegel Online . November 26, 2018 ( spiegel.de [accessed November 28, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Press releases - Police Canton Solothurn - Canton Solothurn. Retrieved December 2, 2018 .
  4. ↑ www.20minuten.ch, 20 minutes, 20 minutes, www.20min.ch: Fire investigators start their work . In: 20 minutes . ( 20min.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  5. ↑ a b Media releases - Police Canton Solothurn - Canton Solothurn. Retrieved November 28, 2018 .
  6. ↑ NZZ: After the fire in Solothurn with several dead, a person was arrested - fire apparently caused by smokers. Retrieved November 28, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b c d Asylum-seekers victims of the fire disaster in Solothurn . In: look . November 27, 2018 ( blick.ch [accessed November 28, 2018]).
  8. ↑ a b Child succumbs to his injuries: The fire claims another fatality . In: az Solothurn newspaper . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  9. ↑ a b c d Fire in Solothurn - Another child died in the hospital . In: Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) . November 27, 2018 ( srf.ch [accessed November 28, 2018]).
  10. ↑ Fire drama in Solothurn: woman confesses to having smoked in bed - and is released from custody . In: az Solothurn newspaper . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  11. ↑ a b Now the mother of the woman who caused the fire speaks from Solothurn! In: look . December 3, 2018 ( blick.ch [accessed December 4, 2018]).
  12. ↑ a b The fire drama in Solothurn: An overview of the catastrophe . In: az Solothurn newspaper . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Press releases - Police Canton Solothurn - Canton Solothurn. Retrieved November 28, 2018 .
  14. ↑ a b Fire in Solothurn: the house was in ruins, smoke alarms were missing . In: look . December 2, 2018 ( blick.ch [accessed December 2, 2018]).
  15. ↑ a b 19 Rescues, that is a "fabulous achievement" and yet ... In: az Solothurner Zeitung . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  16. ↑ «10vor10» from November 26, 2018. Swiss Radio and Television SRF, November 26, 2018, accessed on November 28, 2018 .
  17. ↑ After the disaster: Fire Brigade Association calls for smoke alarms to be mandatory . In: az Solothurn newspaper . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  18. ↑ a b c Roland GampRedaktor Nachrichten @ sonntagszeitung: Cantons relaxed fire protection for asylum shelters . In: Tages-Anzeiger, Tages-Anzeiger . ISSN  1422-9994 ( tagesanzeiger.ch [accessed on December 2, 2018]).
  19. ↑ a b www.20minuten.ch, 20 minutes, 20 minutes, www.20min.ch: “Smoke detector requirement could save many lives” . In: 20 minutes . ( 20min.ch [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  20. ↑ Aargau Solothurn - The drama of Gretzenbach . In: Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) . November 26, 2014 ( srf.ch [accessed December 2, 2018]).
  21. ↑ The Solothurn Badi is also worthy of protection . In: az Solothurn newspaper . ( solothurnerzeitung.ch [accessed on December 2, 2018]).

Coordinates: 47 ° 12 '30.6 "  N , 7 ° 31' 55.9"  E ; CH1903:  607 088  /  228621