Fire in St. Wolfgang

“It’s a disaster, we have nothing left”

The fire spread quickly - the family only has what they were wearing that day.(Bild: AFKDO Bad Ischl )

A faulty deep fryer is likely to have been the cause of a major fire with serious consequences in a house in St. Wolfgang. Although the residents were able to escape the flames, all their belongings were destroyed in the fire.

"You stand in front of the house and can only watch as everything burns. It's a disaster, we have nothing left," Johannes E. reluctantly recalls last Wednesday. His house in St. Wolfgang was engulfed by flames in a matter of minutes.

Dramatic moments
"My daughter was visiting with her children and wanted to cook with my daughter-in-law and grandchild. She switched on the deep fryer in the pantry. When she took the chips out of the kitchen, everything was already full of smoke. She then shouted to me that it was on fire. I tried to help with a fire extinguisher, but the pantry was already on fire. Then we just had to make sure we got out in time," says the 56-year-old - who was in the garden when the fire broke out - describing the dramatic moments.

Spent their entire lives in the house
The fire department was on the scene just five minutes after the alarm was raised, but by then the house was already ablaze. The fire had spread through the old wooden house from the first floor to the attic. "The house was built by my parents in 1962. I grew up there and have lived there all my life. My son lived on the second floor with his wife and child. Now we only have what we were wearing that day," says Johannes E.

The house will have to be demolished.(Bild: FF Bad Ischl)

All memories burned
Clothes, personal documents, photos and all memories were destroyed by the flames. "Everything is either burnt, charred, completely soaked or stinks," says the homeowner, who has already searched the burnt-out house for possible remains. In order to at least alleviate the financial problems somewhat, a colleague at work has opened a donation account for the family. Incidentally, the cause of the fire was probably a technical defect in the deep-fat fryer.

Donation account for the E. family
AT42 3454 5000 3018 9104

"There was nothing inside yet. I only bought it a month ago," puzzles the owner. The people affected are currently staying with family, friends and neighbors. The house will have to be demolished and completely rebuilt.