Nfter the fire in a hotel used as refugee accommodation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a fire expert is to clarify the cause. The extinguishing operation is still ongoing, said a police spokesman on Thursday morning. The expert is used on behalf of the public prosecutor’s office if the stability of the fire ruins allows it. So far, the suspicion of arson is being investigated. On Monday, the police were notified of a swastika scrawl in the entrance area, the culprit of which could not yet be found. “From my many years of experience as a firefighter, I am currently assuming that the fire was set intentionally,” said District Administrator Tino Schomann.
The fire in the large thatched building in Groß Strömkendorf, where 14 refugees from Ukraine lived, broke out on Wednesday evening. Nobody got hurt. A fire alarm had gone off. Employees tried in vain to extinguish the fire that had started on the outside of the house. The flames spread to the thatched roof and then to the entire roof structure and interior.
When the fire brigade arrived, employees of the facility and some passers-by were already trying to fight the fire with fire extinguishers. The entire thatched roof burned. “The roof collapsed right before my eyes. Only the outer walls are still standing,” said the district spokesman. Photos published in the media showed meter-high flames and heavy smoke. In the meantime, there was great fear that the fire would spread to neighboring buildings. But this could be prevented. Almost 120 emergency services and around 20 emergency vehicles were on site.
The refugees could be accommodated in other accommodations. The three employees who looked after them were also unharmed. According to initial investigations, the police estimate the property damage to be at least a higher six-digit sum. It is therefore a timber-frame building.
