updated29. August 2022, 22:33
ZürichMeter-high flames in Niederdörfli – a fire in an apartment building triggers a large-scale operation
A listed apartment building caught fire in District 1 of Zurich. Gusts of wind and narrow streets made extinguishing work difficult.
The flames in the attic of the building were meters high.
20min/News-Scout
There was a lot of smoke in the streets.
20min/News-Scout
A large fire brigade operation took place in Zurich Niederdorf on Monday afternoon. According to a news scout, a construction site caught fire near the Hechtplatz. “The flames are meters high and can be seen from afar. The guests in the adjacent bars and restaurants have left their tables because of the smoke.” The police were also there.
As the news scout observed, two people were taken out of the building by the emergency services. At the request of 20 minutes, the Zurich city police confirmed an attic fire. No further information can be given at this time.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the fire was brought under control, writes Protection & Rescue Zurich on Twitter. No people were injured in the fire.
The extinguished fire left embers distributed over the entire roof, which repeatedly ignited, among other things, due to the light gusts of wind, which meant that the attic had to be constantly monitored, extinguished and rearranged by the fire brigade, as reported by Protection & Rescue Zurich in a media release. In order to be able to completely extinguish the burgeoning embers, affected parts of the attic were removed and transported in troughs. In order to be able to contain the glowing nests into the night, a fire watch is also provided by the militia fire brigade.
The fire service had to overcome various difficulties. Due to the narrow streets of the old town, it was only possible to a limited extent to place the emergency vehicles optimally for use and to set up water pipes. In addition, the construction of the attic became unstable due to the initially intense heat, which meant that additional safety measures had to be taken during the firefighting attacks.
The cause of the fire is still unclear, writes Protection & Rescue Zurich. It will be clarified by the fire investigation service of the Zurich cantonal police and detectives from the Zurich city police.