Dispute as motive

Four children were asleep when Styrian woman started fire

The emergency services at the scene of the crime in the municipality of Hartl.

(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Obertiefenbach)

A terrible act on Sunday morning in Styria: presumably because of an argument with her partner, an intoxicated 35-year-old woman started fires in several places in their shared home. And this despite the fact that four small children were sleeping there at the time of the crime.

Shocking details emerged after the fire in Hartl near Stubenberg am See (Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district): Shortly after the "fire broke out" Sunday morning, the investigation was already moving in the direction of third-party culpability. Now it turns out: it was actually arson!

Four children in mortal danger
The resident's partner had set fire to several places in the morning hours. Including in the man's bedroom, where he was sleeping with his four-year-old son. But not only the boy was in the house, three neighboring children and friends of the little boy were also visiting the family at the time of the crime. But the woman didn't seem to care at all when she set fire to the accelerant in several places in the house.

Fortunately, the 31-year-old Styrian was woken up by the fire at around 3.20 am and was able to get everyone to safety. If he had not woken up, the whole thing would certainly have ended in tragedy, the investigators are certain.

Dispute as a possible motive
The suspected arsonist, who according to the police was obviously drunk and behaving very aggressively at the time of the crime, was taken to the psychiatric ward at LKH II Strandort Süd. The police have not yet been able to question her. The background to the terrible act is likely to have been an argument with her partner.