Stemwede/Minden (dpa/lnw) – After the fire on a farm in Stemwede in the Minden-Lübbecke district, two 16-year-olds are suspected of having caused the fire. As the police announced on Friday, the two young people should be brought before a magistrate at the Minden district court. They were in the attic of a barn adjoining the farmhouse immediately before the fire broke out.
According to the police, the violent fire caused six-figure damage according to initial estimates. The 81-year-old homeowner contracted mild smoke inhalation when attempting to put out burning hay bales. The extinguishing work lasted from Thursday morning into Friday. Fire specialists are still investigating how the youths may have started the fire, police said. The building is currently uninhabitable.