Erkrath (dpa / lnw) – In a basement fire in an apartment building in Erkrath, eight people with smoke poisoning were taken to hospitals. Because the smoke spread to the stairwell and it was not accessible, some residents had to be rescued with turntable ladders, as the fire department announced on Sunday. The emergency services also brought three children and four other people to safety. The fire department was also able to rescue four cats and a dog.
According to the information, the extinguishing was difficult due to heavy smoke and high temperatures. The fire also caused a crack in the heating water system, resulting in large amounts of hot water escaping. The fire department was able to fix this. About three and a half hours after the fire broke out, residents were able to return to their apartments. There was a lot of property damage that the fire brigade could not quantify. The cause of fire was unclear for the moment.
