URGENT SITUATION: Swift action required in critical scenarios. - Deadly blaze at a senior living facility and rehabilitation center
Recently, a tragedy occurred in a nursing home in Oyten, near Bremen, where two residents perished in a fire. Three individuals sustained severe injuries, although the police initially neglected to provide a final count of wounded. The victims, aged 95 and 89, succumbed to the blaze, and the cause remained unclear at the time.
A police representative mentioned that investigations had commenced at night and would continue the following day. A staff member from the nursing facility detected smoke around midnight and immediately contacted emergency services. Approximately 60 residents were roused from their sleep as a result. Later in the evening, a spokesperson from the fire department confirmed that residents had been safely evacuated from the building. 100 firefighters, as well as additional assistants and paramedics, contained the fire and averted its spread.
Dpa correspondent onsite described the nursing home's windows were cracked, while authorities cordoned off its entrance with a red-white tape. Evidence gathering had begun, leaving burn marks imprinted on the building's windows.
Unfortunately, this situation is not unique. In past months, similar incidents have happened in nursing homes, leading to fatalities or injuries. In May, an 82-year-old woman lost her life in a Göttingen nursing home's fire, while an 85-year-old resident incurred severe burn injuries. In March, a tragedy struck in Bedburg-Hau near the Dutch border, where four nursing home residents passed away due to a fire. Over 20 individuals were injured in the same incident. The public prosecutor's office launched a formal investigation against a resident, suspected of causing the fire negligently. In January, residents sustained injuries during a Schwerin nursing home fire, two of whom were reported to be in serious condition.
German Foundation for Patient Protection, based in Dortmund, disclosed that 12 people were killed in nursing home fires this year. Injuries also surged by 50% from the previous year, highlighting the inadequacy of current safety measures. The foundation's chairman, Eugen Brysch, urged implementing self-contained fire extinguishing systems in all patient and staff rooms as a preventive measure, allowing fires and smoke to be detected and quelled early on. He implored building and health ministers at the federal and state levels to prioritize fire protection. The residents at these institutions are generally immobilized and unable to escape danger independently, while smokers may be unaware of the smoke.
