A fire severely damaged five neighboring houses in the Lower Franconian district of Miltenberg on Sunday afternoon. The damage is between two and five million euros, according to the police. Because the neighbors warned each other, no one was injured.
The fire broke out in a mid-terrace house in Elsenfeld. The flames spread rapidly to four other houses. “A local resident described the emergency call that his house was on fire from the terrace to the roof,” said a police spokesman.
The fire brigade was on site with a large contingent of around 100 emergency services and fought the fire with several fire engines and turntable ladders. After about an hour, the fire was under control and the subsequent extinguishing work could begin. The emergency services also had to track down and extinguish some embers that were hiding under the roof tiles.
None of the five houses is currently habitable, the police spokesman said. Some of the 14 affected residents between the ages of 16 and 69 stayed with friends or in alternative accommodation. Three houses were badly damaged by the flames, the other two by extinguishing water and smoke. The Technical Relief Agency began securing the houses on Sunday.
The cause of the serious fire was initially unclear. Fire investigators would conduct research in the coming days and weeks.
