Fire at the fire station in Stadtallendorf: high damages worth millions | hessenschau.de

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05:41 mins|10/16/24, 7:30 p.m|hessenschau

More than 20 million euros in damage caused by fire in fire department building

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Fire in the fire station: On Wednesday night in Stadtallendorf (Marburg-Biedenkopf), firefighters were rung out of bed to help save their own building.

Shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, one of the vehicles parked in the equipment shed apparently caught fire, with flames shooting out more than ten meters from the roof of the building. Nobody was injured.

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The vehicle hall, which was only officially opened along with the other buildings this year, is completely engulfed in fire – and is now a total loss. District fire inspector Lars Schäfer estimated the total damage on Wednesday morning at 20 to 24 million euros.

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Fortunately, it was possible to save the social wing of the building complex. The hall structure of the complex will probably not be able to be maintained because it cannot be renovated, but structural engineers still have to check that. During the course of the day, representatives of the municipal building inspectorate were on site and cordoned off the scene of the fire.

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00:44 mins|10/16/24|hessenschau.de

Fire department equipment house in Stadtallendorf burned down

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No fire alarm system at the base

The city said there was a fire protection wall between the garages for the full tanks of fire engines and the social wing, which was spared from the flames.

The fire station had no fire alarm system. “This is not mandatory,” said Norbert Fischer, President of the Hesse State Fire Brigade Association, when asked by HR. You should think about this in principle because, among other things, many batteries would be charged in the bases.

“Every firefighter’s nightmare”

Herrenwaldstrasse was still closed in the morning due to extinguishing work, and rail traffic had to be stopped temporarily. Because of the smoke, residents were determined to keep windows and doors closed.

It was an emotional effort for the around 170 emergency services who fought the flames on site, district fire inspector Schäfer told the hr: “This is every fire department member’s nightmare, nobody wants to have to put out their fire station themselves.”

It was particularly bitter that it was the most modern fire station in the entire district.

Fire protection must be reorganized

In the morning the fire could be seen from afar. The firefighters tried to “save what could still be saved,” says Schäfer.

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00:33 mins|10/16/24|hessenschau.de

Fire department spokesman: A “nightmare” for firefighters

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For the emergency services on site, the emotional processing now begins. “The calmer the operation becomes, the more thoughts circle,” says Schäfer. A support center has now been set up for the firefighters.

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It is the worst thing that could happen to a firefighter if his own station burns down. With tears in his eyes, one of the fire fighters put it into words: “We basically had to put out our home” – that shows the volunteers’ deep connection to their fire station, says Schäfer.

How the fire could have happened is now the question everyone is asking. Given the extensive damage, specialists from the State Criminal Police Office are expected to investigate the cause of the fire.

New building after the new building in Stadtallendorf

What happens now if there is a fire again in Stadtallendorf? “We receive offers of help, offers of support and inquiries about how we can be helped from all over Hesse,” says Schäfer. They are working hard on a plan so that Stadtallendorf can ensure “basic protection” itself again as soon as possible without having to resort to other municipalities.

The district is providing a logistics vehicle and a command car and the municipality of Ebsdorfergrund is sending a disaster relief vehicle. A rental turntable ladder and rental vehicles would also be organized. There are also already ideas for accommodation options. “We’re already starting to stir things up in the background so we can get everything back on track.”

For the time being, the neighboring fire departments and those from the districts should step in, the Interior Ministry said in response to a request from HR.

The mayor of Stadtallendorf Christian Somogyi (SPD) broke off his autumn vacation and headed back home. The news was a shock. The fire caused great concern among the population. The new fire station, which cost 16 million euros, was “a gem,” said Somogyi. As an industrial location, Stadtallendorf needed a new equipment shed.

Martin Rößler, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, was there on Wednesday morning to see the situation for himself. “A catastrophic picture of destruction emerges. Fortunately, the social wing was saved,” he said. The major fire is a serious blow to the entire fire service community.

The fire station, which was considered a building for the future, had to be rebuilt as quickly as possible, district fire inspector Schäfer told the HR. The Hessian fire department president Fischer told the HR that the fire was a “huge fiasco for the fire department”. The solidarity of the fire department with its comrades is huge.

When the fire station was officially opened in January, the Oberhessische headlined it press: “Modern, innovative and state-of-the-art”. A state-of-the-art building, equipped with a 23 meter high training tower, state-of-the-art technology, energy efficient, with its own laundry, hose care system and fitness room.

Less than a year later, a large part of it has been completely destroyed.

Broadcast:
hr television, hessenschau,

10/16/24, 7:30 p.m

Source: hessenschau.de with information from Michael Przibilla (hr), dpa/lhe

Published on 10/16/24 at 6:46 am