Rhein-Neckar-District - Brand in Sauna - three injured, detached house uninhabitable
At a single-family house fire in Heddesbach (Rhein-Neckar-District), three people have been injured. The building is now structurally unstable. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire started in the sauna of the house, as the police reported. A 65-year-old resident was seriously injured and flown to a clinic via helicopter, a 72-year-old man was taken to the hospital by an ambulance with light injuries. Additionally, a 92-year-old neighbor suffered from light carbon monoxide poisoning due to an open window.
On the way back from this incident, a fire department vehicle was involved in an accident: Since the road was still closed, the 34-year-old driver had to choose an alternative route, the police reported. This route led over a steep gravel road, which was unstable due to the weather conditions. The vehicle skidded suddenly during the ride and overturned downhill once. The five occupants, members of a volunteer fire department, were lightly injured. The damage to the emergency vehicle is estimated to be around 15,000 Euro.
The firefighting efforts lasted until the evening. The police estimated the damage to be 400,000 Euro in the evening. The Criminal Police Directorate Heidelberg is investigating.
- The helicopter that transported the seriously injured resident was from the Baden-Württemberg state's emergency medical service.
- In the Rhein-Neckar-District, the local fire department has responded to numerous house fires and accidents this year.
- Upon arriving at the scene, the fire department immediately initiated full burn procedures to contain the fire within the sauna.
- Despite the accident involving a fire department vehicle, the response time to the house fire in Heddesbach was still under the usual average.
- The owner of the single-family house is planning to relocate temporarily due to the extensive damage caused by the fire and the subsequent police investigation.
