Dog dies in agony

Centuries-old house in flames: Cause clarified

More than 150 firefighters were on the scene on Sunday.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

The fire in a centuries-old wooden house in the Zwieselstein district of the Tyrolean municipality of Sölden (Imst district) on Sunday was probably caused by a candle. This was the result of the police investigation. A dog died in agony at the time.

"During the investigation into the cause of the fire carried out by officers from the Provincial Criminal Police Office together with the district fire investigator, it was determined that the fire was probably started by a candle in a lantern on a wooden chest of drawers," reported the police.

No persons were injured by the fire, but a dog died in the flames.

Fire spread quickly
The fire, which broke out shortly before 12 noon on Sunday, had spread to the top floor. The roof truss had to be at least partially demolished. The fire had apparently broken out on the first floor, and within a short space of time there was a lot of smoke.

More than 150 firefighters on site
A cleaner in the other semi-detached house alerted the fire department. More than 150 men from Sölden and the surrounding communities arrived and initially brought the flames under control. However, after some time the fire broke out again in the roof truss area. The firefighting operation had to be carried out mainly with breathing apparatus and lasted until the evening hours.

There were no people in the two semi-detached houses. Guests had been staying in the attic of the semi-detached house in which the fire had broken out. However, they had gone skiing in the early hours of the morning and were still out of the house. However, it was too late to help the dog.