Two fires broke out in Neumünster on Friday afternoon and evening, injuring three people each. The fire department was handling an incident in Gadeland when called to another blaze in Lornsenstraße. In total, six individuals were taken to the hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.
The first alerts came around 16:30 to a fire in the basement of a single-family home in Asperkamp, Gadeland. Neumünster's professional fire department rescued three people from the building, who were taken to the hospital with smoke gas poisoning. The fire was extinguished, with after-extinguishing work continuing until about 17:30. The operation involved 35 personnel from the professional fire department of Neumünster, the volunteer fire departments of Gadeland and Wittorf, and the rescue service. The house has become uninhabitable due to the fire, and the cause remains unclear.
While still engaged in this response, the fire department was called at 17:46 to a room fire on the third upper floor of an apartment building in Lornsenstraße. The blaze threatened to spread to the attic but was quickly brought under control. Three people suffered suspected smoke inhalation and required hospitalization. The apartments on the third floor and in the attic are uninhabitable. Involved were the professional fire department and volunteers from Wittorf, Mitte, and Einfeld.
Both fires occurred in quick succession, heavily taxing emergency responders. The exact causes are currently unknown.