GERMANY: AUTHORITIES REJECT ACCUSATIONS OF BUNGLED RESCUE ATTEMPT AFTER FIVE PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE IN JUELICH

Record ID: 647889

  • Title: GERMANY: AUTHORITIES REJECT ACCUSATIONS OF BUNGLED RESCUE ATTEMPT AFTER FIVE PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE IN JUELICH
  • Date: 6th November 2003
  • Summary: (W5) JUELICH, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 06, 2003)(REUTERS) 1. PAN DOWN/ WIDE VIEW OF BURNT OUT HOUSE WITH PAN ONTO DOORWAY (2 SHOTS) 0.15 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) POLICE SPOKESMAN FOR DUEREN, WOLFGANG MENSAK SAYING "Tonight at around three o' clock the police Dueren heard about the fire in Green Street. The police met the fire service and members of the medical emergency services on location. They tried to get into the house, in the stairway we then found 5 people, 6 people, who were brought out into the fresh air where we attempted to resuscitate them, unfortunately five people died. A two-year old boy was successfully resuscitated and is recovering in hospital". 0.44 3. WIDE OF HOUSE 0.50 4. CLOSE OF PUSHCHAIR OUTSIDE THE HOUSE 0.57 5. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) POLICE SPOKESMAN FOR DUEREN, WOLFGANG MENSAK SAYING "According to the information the colleagues have so far, the fire started in the cellar, in a room there furniture or some such material burnt, but the colleagues are still on location so we cannot say any more at the time." 1.12 6. PAN OF BURNT STAIRCASE 1.24 7. WIDE OF PRESS IN FRONT OF HOUSE 1.29 8. WIDE/PAN OF PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PAN ONTO THE HEAD OF THE DUEREN DISTRICT AUTHORITY, WOLFGANG SPELTHANN 1.37 9. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) HEAD OF THE DUEREN DISTRICT AUTHORITY, WOLFGANG SPELTHANN SAYING "One can always pose the question of whether it is manslaughter in that one can say then one has more, one can do more. But we have to take two things into consideration, firstly that all the necessary time limits as they are minutely specified were adhered to. Secondly, both fire engines which are on call for this area were in use and ready to be used." 2.01 10. CUTAWAY OF REPORTER WRITING 2.03 11. WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE 2.07 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JUELICH, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA1YNU6JWV4PLFZJYS7J73DFZ7T
  • Story Text: Five people have been killed in a house fire in Germany.



    Five people died in a house fire in Juelich in the
    early hours of Thursday morning (November 6). The Police
    spokesman for the district of Dueren, Wolfgang Mensak said
    the rescue services had tried to get into the house and
    found 6 people in the stairway. They were able to
    resuscitate a two-year old boy successfully, but the other
    five died. The boy is recovering in hospital.

    Among the dead were a thirty-one year old man and his
    wife, who was the same age, along with their three and five
    year old children. An eighty-two year old also died in the
    fire.

    At a press conference after the incident the Head of
    the Dueren District Authority, Wolfgang Spelthann defended
    accusations that the rescue had been badly planned.

    "One can always pose the question of whether it is
    manslaughter in that one can say then one has more, one can
    do more. But we have to take two things into consideration,
    firstly that all the necessary time limits as they are
    minutely specified were adhered to. Secondly, both fire
    engines which are on call for this area were in use and
    ready to be used", he said.

    In all the fire service had 8 fire engines and 35
    firefighters on location. The information they have at
    present indicates that the fire started in the basement.


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