Germany: Fire at Hamburg refugee shelter leaves one dead

BY|dw

One person has died after a fire broke out at a refugee shelter in the northern German city of Hamburg, media reported on Monday.

Firefighters rushed to the scene in the neighborhood of Winterhude where they found ten container units on fire.

“Troops with breathing equipment went inside and unfortunately could only find one missing person lifeless with certain indications of death,” German news agency DPA reported.

The identity of the victim as well as the cause of the fire remained unclear, according to the police.

What do we know about the fire?
Three fire trucks and 75 firefighters were deployed to the tackle the blaze that was reported at 5:30 p.m. (1630 GMT/UTC).

Residents nearby were advised to close their doors and windows due to the smoke, but this was lifted after just over an hour.

There is space for almost 500 refugees and homeless people in the neighborhood, according to the municipal operator.

The container-units each have two floors and are close together. Some 10 containers were reportedly destroyed in the fire.

A spokesperson for the municipal operator told local newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost that one building — made up of multiple containers — is deemed uninhabitable, as a result of the damage caused by the blaze, and they are seeking alternative accommodation for the 10 people who had been living there.