Residents evacuated

Major fire in old building: fire department deployed on a large scale

The residents were brought to safety and the fire department issued an alert level 3 due to the severity of the fire.(Bild: Stadt Wien | Feuerwehr)

Fire alarm in Vienna-Mariahilf: A fire broke out in an old multi-storey building on Sunday night. Initially, the emergency services assessed the situation as a minor fire. However, it soon became clear that the fire was far more intense than originally suspected.

When the emergency services from the Vienna Fire Brigade arrived, thick, black smoke was billowing out of the light shafts on Windmühlgasse in Vienna-Mariahilf. Some residents were already calling attention to themselves at the windows when the emergency services reached the house.

Residents evacuated using a turntable ladder
A small fire on the first floor at the level of Stiegengasse was quickly extinguished using a firefighting line and breathing apparatus, while nine people and a dog were evacuated to safety using a turntable ladder.

In the course of further investigations by the firefighters in the labyrinthine building, an exit to a store on the first floor in Stiegengasse was discovered. A heavily heated fire door was found there, windows in the inner courtyard were also blackened with soot and hot. It quickly became clear that there was a much larger source of the fire on this level - alarm level 3 was declared.

The operation lasted several hours through the night and was completed at around 7:00 in the morning.(Bild: MA 68)

Numerous breathing apparatus teams in action
Firefighting proved to be complicated due to the winding structure of the building - the flames were fought via stairwells, the inner courtyard and from the outside with three extinguishing lines under breathing apparatus. A liquid gas cylinder and an oxygen cylinder were brought to safety. Numerous breathing apparatus teams were needed to reach all the pockets of embers and finally extinguish the fire.

Stairwells and the business premises were ventilated with high-performance fans and the residents were then able to return to their apartments. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.