Three Indian nationals died in a
fire at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, police said on Wednesday. The incident also left five other people suffering from smoke inhalation, and they were taken to hospitals in the city for medical treatment. According to police, the victims included two women aged 25 and 27 and a 26-year-old man. Emergency services discovered their bodies inside an apartment on the building’s second floor after the fire broke out early Tuesday morning.
Police have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian resident of the building on initial suspicion of murder. A homicide squad is investigating the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine how the fire started. Fire investigators examined the property and ruled out a technical defect as the cause of the blaze. Authorities are now treating arson as a possible explanation. However, investigators have yet to establish whether someone deliberately started the fire or whether it broke out accidentally.
Fire Broke Out Early Tuesday Morning
The fire started in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting an emergency response from rescue teams and firefighters. Police received information about the incident at 4:16 am and immediately initiated rescue and firefighting operations.
The situation proved particularly difficult for emergency responders because the flames had spread upwards through the building’s stairwell. According to local media reports, the fire blocked the usual evacuation route, preventing firefighters from using the stairs to bring residents to safety.
Rescue teams worked to respond to the emergency as the fire spread through the building. Authorities later confirmed that three people had died, while five others required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.
Police Had Visited the Building Days Earlier
Local media reports said police had visited the same residential building on Sunday following a dispute. The visit came just days before the fatal fire. Authorities had also responded to several other incidents at the property in the past. However, initial information indicates that those incidents were not connected to Tuesday’s fire.
Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the blaze, including whether it was deliberately set. The arrest of the 41-year-old resident forms part of the ongoing investigation, but authorities have yet to establish the definitive cause of the fire.
