Pfaffnau
Sad certainty: House fire in Pfaffnau claims two lives
A couple died in a house fire in Pfaffnau early Monday morning. Another seven residents were evacuated.
The house and the adjacent barn were fully engulfed in flames.
Image: Lucerne police (Pfaffnau, March 18, 2024)
When the rescue workers arrived at Pfaffnauer Chottenweg shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Monday night, an apartment building and the adjacent barn were ablaze. The extinguishing work has now progressed and there is a sad certainty: two people died in the house fire in Pfaffnau.
According to a statement from the Lucerne public prosecutor’s office, two dead adults were rescued from the building on Monday afternoon. The investigating authorities assume that these are the missing people who they suspected were still in the burning house that morning: a couple aged 68 and 74. The definitive identifications are still pending.
The evacuees are safe
Seven other residents were evacuated from the building, and three people were taken to hospital by emergency services with suspected smoke poisoning. They have now been able to leave the hospital again. The municipality of Pfaffnau has organized emergency accommodation for the evacuees. The sheep and horses that were housed in the burnt down barn, according to the deputy fire inspector involved, Marco Lötscher, were also safe.
The firefighting work presented the emergency services with a number of challenges, he explains. For example, due to the risk of collapse, the building could no longer be entered and the fire was fought from the outside. Last but not least, rescuing the deceased is not easy for the emergency services. “The people involved are looked after after such stressful operations and can also seek professional support if necessary,” says Lötscher.
The house and the adjacent barn are fully engulfed in flames.
Video: Tele1
The fire departments of Pfaffnau-Roggliswil, Zofingen, Emmen, the city of Lucerne and a rescue helicopter were on duty. The Sursee public prosecutor’s office is conducting the investigation. The police cannot yet provide any information about the cause of the fire; fire investigators have started their work.
The fatal fires are increasing
It might seem like déjà vu to some people: a similar tragic incident occurred in the Wiggen district of the Escholzmatt-Marbach municipality at the end of January. Three children died in a massive fire in a residential building. Just a week later, a fire in an apartment building in Lucerne also claimed one life.
The public prosecutor’s office cannot answer what this accumulation can be attributed to: “The incidents of the last few weeks were very tragic,” says media spokesman Simon Kopp. “To put these in context would be speculative at the moment.” (abt)
More articles from these communities