The house in Hart/Graz that was devastated by an explosion on Thursday is uninhabitable. The house owner, a 72-year-old, is still in the intensive care unit, as a spokeswoman for the LKH University Hospital Graz confirmed on Friday. The patient’s condition is stable, although 30 percent of the skin area is burned.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear. A gas bottle was found at the scene of the accident, the Styria State Police Department confirms. There is no evidence of weapons of war or anything similar. But to be sure, “we have to interview the victim, who is still in intensive care,” said a spokesman.
Explosion in the morning hours
The false ceiling has buckled, the radiator on the upper floor is close to the abyss caused by the suddenly missing house wall: On a single-family house in Hart near Graz, the traces of the devastation caused by an explosion in the early hours of Thursday morning can be seen. The 72-year-old resident of the house was critically injured and had to undergo emergency surgery at the LKH Graz. The man is said to have been alone in the house, and it is suspected that he may have been handling a gas bottle – in any case, a gas container was found.
The Styrian State Criminal Police Office has started the investigation. One thing is now certain: According to an expert, there is an imminent danger of collapse in the house, which is why the municipality has issued a ban on using and entering the house. According to the current state of the investigation, there is no evidence of foul play. The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Interview with police spokesman Fritz Grundnig
“It was a challenging operation for us,” admits Peter Preuß, chief fire inspector at the FF Hart near Graz. The two most important unknowns: Was gas involved and is it still leaking? And will the house collapse at any moment? After initial gas measurements on site showed nothing, “we ventured forward cautiously. And at some point I heard a whimper next to a pile of rubble.” Fortunately, the injured 72-year-old resident was not buried and was responsive. “But the emergency doctor quickly said that we didn’t have much time. So we got the man out with a carrycot as quickly as possible. And still as careful as possible,” Preuß tells the Kleine Zeitung.
Peter Preuß led the operation on behalf of the FF Hart near Graz © Saria