Leinefelde-Worbis (dpa/th) – Two people were seriously injured in an apartment fire in northern Thuringia. The fire broke out on Wednesday night in the basement of an apartment building in the Leinefelde district (Eichsfeld district), according to the police in Nordhausen. According to this, 53 residents temporarily left the house, some were rescued by the fire brigade to safety. A 69-year-old and a 71-year-old were taken to hospital with serious injuries and suspected smoke inhalation. Another six people were slightly injured in the fire, including a 22-year-old firefighter. The fire was extinguished after around two and a half hours. The police are investigating the cause of the fire.