31 injured in Essen

31 injured after fires: Suspect arrested

A 41-year-old Syrian is alleged to have set two fires in Essen. 31 people were injured, two small children are in mortal danger.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/---/TV7news/dpa )

31 people, including eight children, were injured in two fires in two apartment buildings in Essen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia late on Saturday afternoon. A 41-year-old Syrian man has already been arrested as a suspect. He is said to have driven a van into two stores a few minutes later.

As the Mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen, announced on Sunday, the suspected arson attacks were targeted at two families.

Children critically injured
The man is suspected of serious arson and attempted murder and is to be brought before a magistrate in the course of Sunday. His motive is still unclear. Background investigations into the 41-year-old Syrian's background and witness interviews are currently underway, the police announced on Sunday.

According to the fire department, twelve people were injured in the first fire and 19 in the second shortly afterwards. Eight children were seriously injured in the first fire, including two young children who suffered life-threatening injuries. According to preliminary information, they were two and four years old, said a fire department spokesman.

Eleven people were seriously, but not life-threateningly, injured in the other fire. All injuries were caused by smoke from the fire. The two small children were taken to specialist clinics. All of the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Situation was "dramatic"
The fires reportedly broke out in two apartment buildings in the Altenessen and Stoppenberg districts shortly after 5 p.m., one after the other. The fire department brought people out of the houses to safety, some using ladders, because the stairwells were no longer passable due to the fire.

Before the emergency services arrived, neighbors had already placed ladders against the wall of one of the houses. However, these were too short, said the fire department spokesperson. "But that meant that when we arrived, people were already hanging from the windows, holding children out." The situation was "dramatic". The firefighters then initially deployed a safety cushion, but this was not used.

At peak times, around 160 firefighters were involved. Two large fires having to be fought at the same time is a challenge, even for a large city like Essen. The operation lasted around one and a half hours.

Crashed into stores with a van
The 41-year-old man arrested is also suspected of driving a van into two stores in the Katernberg district. According to the police, no one was injured.

The Syrian is also said to have later driven his van into two stores.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/---/TV7news/ dpa)

According to the police spokesman, it was initially unclear whether the two stores were closed at the time of the crime. The man was arrested near these two stores.

Threatened people with a machete?
The spokesperson would not comment on reports that the man had also threatened someone with a knife and a machete. In this context, videos from social networks are currently being evaluated. "They are currently being viewed and checked to see to what extent they are connected to the crime, to what extent this is the suspect and what exactly the background is," said the spokesperson.