Friday 26 / July / 2024
Firefighters and police officials say it is unclear what exactly caused a massive early-morning explosion and fire on Thursday in the western German city of Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
However, officials did say there were no preliminary indications of foul play or arson.
The fire broke out after an explosion in the ground-floor food and beverage shop of a six-story building jarred residents from their sleep, shattering windows in neighboring houses.
Flames quickly engulfed the site, with panicked residents calling emergency services and those on lower floors jumping from balconies onto the glass-strewn street below.
More than 100 firefighters, police and emergency services workers were at the site to extinguish the fire, evacuate those trapped on balconies and assist those in need.
The Düsseldorf Fire Department said some 70 people were attended to during the 9-hour operation.
Three men were reported dead, with one found in his apartment and two more in the stairwell. Officials say 16 people were hospitalized, two with life-threatening injuries.
