Disaster during fire

Dead woman found during firefighting operation in residential building

Firefighters found a body in this house

(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at/laumat)

Firefighters made a terrible discovery on Friday morning during a fire in a house in Thalheim near Wels in Upper Austria. A female body was found inside the building. It is suspected that the dead woman is the owner (74). 

At 8.22 a.m. on Friday, two fire departments (Thalheim bei Wels and Am Thalbach fire departments) were called to a residential building near the Thalheim retirement home. Passers-by had seen thick, dark clouds of smoke billowing out of windows on the upper floor. 

Firefighter with breathing protection

(Bild: FF Maria Enzersdorf)

Cause of fire unclear
As the owner's dog was in the garden and her car was parked near the house, it was feared that the pensioner was still in the building. Several breathing apparatus teams then set out to search for the missing 74-year-old.

The conditions for the firefighters were very difficult, as the house was obviously full of objects. The firefighters only found what they were looking for after about an hour.

Unfortunately, they were unable to get anyone out of the house alive. Instead, they came across a female body, which is likely to be the pensioner. The cause of the fire has not yet been fully clarified, but the fire could have been started by a cigarette. 
The Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation took over the investigation.