Two nine-year-old children were seriously injured in a fire at an apartment building in Rietheim-Weilheim near Tuttlingen. The children suffered smoke inhalation and were airlifted to specialized clinics. Firefighters rescued dozens of residents, with three others sustaining minor injuries.
The fire broke out shortly after 7:30 p.m. in a ground-floor apartment of the multi-family building in Rietheim-Weilheim, a town in southern Baden-Württemberg near Tuttlingen. Smoke quickly filled the stairwell, endangering residents. Firefighters responded with a major operation, evacuating dozens of people using a turntable ladder and via the stairwell.
Two nine-year-old children were seriously injured by smoke inhalation, according to Andreas Narr, the district fire chief of Tuttlingen. They were airlifted to specialized clinics, police said. Three other residents suffered minor smoke poisoning. Emergency crews extinguished the fire and contained the damage.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze. There are no indications of arson in initial reports. The incident highlights the risks of fires in apartment buildings, particularly from rapid smoke spread.