Press
There is an explosion in a refugee shelter in Buchholz in der Nordheide. The facility is ablaze. One person dies and a police officer is seriously injured.
Buchholz – One person died and a police officer was seriously injured in a serious fire in a container village for refugees in Buchholz in the Nordheide. It is still unclear who the dead person is – the lifeless person was found in the building. A total of 21 people were injured, said a fire department spokesman.
Initially, there were “indications of a fire hazard” in the accommodation for around 100 people in the Harburg district in the morning, according to a police statement. “We received a tip-off about a person setting fires,” said a police spokesman.
Two officers and two employees of the accommodation went into a residential container and noticed the smell of petrol. Suddenly there was an explosion. A fire broke out on the ground floor of the two-story facility, the fire department said. The accommodation, which had a total of 48 containers, was fully ablaze.
One officer suffered severe burns, a fire department spokesman said. An employee of the accommodation suffered severe burns and a policewoman was also injured. The fire department spokesman could not initially say how severely.
Large contingent on site
Around 150 emergency personnel rushed to the asylum seekers’ accommodation on Bremer Strasse in the middle of the day. “Our priority was to rescue people. We didn’t know how many people were still in the building at that time,” said the fire department spokesman. All containers were searched.
The injured are being treated on site and, if necessary, taken to nearby hospitals. The seriously injured police officer was also taken to a hospital.
The fire was brought under control relatively quickly, said the fire department spokesman. The operation is not over yet. Pastors are on duty. In order not to hinder the rescue work, the police are asking people to avoid the area.
The barriers should be gradually lifted in the afternoon. “As soon as the heat allows, fire investigators will examine the crime scene,” said the police spokesman. The residents of the container village will be housed in the Schützenhalle in Buchholz, where other refugees are already living. dpa
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