Firefighter injured

House on fire: resident and firefighter injured

When the fire department arrived, the entrance area was already fully engulfed in flames. The flames, which had spread rapidly, were also fought from the turntable ladder.

(Bild: Feuerwehr Reutte)

Fire alarm on Saturday evening in Reutte in the Tyrolean Außerfern: a house in which a mother lives with her son (17) went up in flames. The boy noticed the fire and immediately raised the alarm. The emergency services then battled the inferno. The teenager and a firefighter had to be taken to hospital. The cause of the fire has now been determined.

The fire broke out in the house in the Tränkesiedlung area at around 7.15 pm. The fire was noticed by the 17-year-old resident, who had apparently just come home with his mother.

Flames spread quickly
When the fire department arrived on the scene, the entrance area was already fully engulfed in flames. "The flames then spread quite quickly - via the stairwell to the second floor and partly onto the roof," said fire department commander and head of operations Alexander Ammann, describing the dramatic scenes in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper.

The flames spread rapidly.

(Bild: Feuerwehr Reutte, Krone KREATIV)

The fire spread rapidly from the entrance area.

(Bild: Feuerwehr Reutte, Krone KREATIV)

"Massive firefighting operation"
The emergency services from Reutte fought against the flaming inferno with the support of the Breitenwang fire brigade. "The operation was massive - with a turntable ladder and breathing apparatus teams. We were able to get the fire under control quite quickly," Ammann continued. All in all, around 70 firefighters were deployed.

Flame inferno in the house

(Bild: Feuerwehr Reutte)

According to the police, the 17-year-old resident who became aware of the fire had to be taken to Reutte Hospital by ambulance with suspected smoke inhalation. A young firefighter (22) also sustained injuries during the extinguishing work.

He was taken to hospital, where he had to stay overnight for monitoring.

Einsatzleiter Alexander Ammann

Ammann: "The victim is part of the breathing protection team. The fire caused the wooden railing on the second floor to break away and he fell down the stairs. He was taken to hospital, where he had to stay overnight for monitoring."

House uninhabitable for the time being
The detached house was severely damaged by the fire and is uninhabitable for the time being. The fire was declared out at around 10 pm. After the fire watch, the last firefighters arrived at around midnight.

According to initial investigations, the police assume that the fire was caused by a technical defect in a bedroom on the first floor. In any case, there are no indications of any outside culpability.