Some of the immobile seniors were carried out by firefighters using wheelchairs, while others were reached through windows with fire ladders.
Two elderly women, aged 89 and 95, died on Thursday in a fire at a retirement home in the village of Oyten, located in northern Germany near the city of Bremen. Three other seniors sustained serious injuries, one of whom is in critical condition. This was announced by a local police spokesperson, as reported by TASR according to the DPA agency.
None of the facility’s employees were injured. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
An employee of the home called the emergency line shortly after midnight upon noticing smoke. She also ensured that over 60 residents were awakened. Some of the immobile seniors were then carried out by firefighters using wheelchairs, while others were reached through windows with fire ladders.
Over 100 firefighters extinguished the blaze and prevented it from spreading further. The operation also involved 29 ambulances and seven doctors in addition to the fire and police teams. One room in the home was completely destroyed by the fire, and the rest of the facility was mostly smoke-damaged. The retirement home, which had housed 62 residents, is currently uninhabitable.
