German Hospital Fire Claims Lives, Injures Dozens
Two patients died and more than 30 were injured when a fire broke out early morning at a hospital in Ludwigslust, northern Germany, prompting a full evacuation of the facility.
A deadly fire at a hospital in northern Germany has claimed the lives of two patients and left more than 30 people injured, according to local authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The blaze erupted in the early morning hours of July 2 at the Helene-von-Bülow-Klinikum in Ludwigslust, a town located south of the regional capital Schwerin, as Brussels Signal reports.
A spokeswoman for the Ludwigslust-Parchim district confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur that both fatalities were patients at the facility. None of the more than 30 injured individuals sustained serious wounds, though it remains unclear whether the two victims had been in the same room at the time of the fire.
Authorities have withheld the ages and further details of the deceased, noting only that both were undergoing treatment at the clinic when the fire ignited.
Emergency responders received the alarm shortly after 4am local time. By approximately 4.30am, flames had reached the roof structure of the building.
Initial findings indicate the fire originated in a patient room before spreading upward to the roof above the radiology department, according to regional broadcaster NDR.
The hospital underwent a full evacuation, with adjacent buildings on the campus also impacted by the emergency. Patients and staff were relocated to a secure area on the hospital grounds for treatment and assessment.
While the fire was described as locally contained, unaffected sections of the clinic continued operations. The accident and emergency unit temporarily closed but later resumed services, NDR reported.
Police in Rostock dispatched fire crews, paramedics, and officers in large numbers to the scene, characterizing the response as a major operation. The emergency deployment caused substantial traffic disruption in the vicinity of the hospital.
Earlier estimates from officers placed the injury count at up to 34 individuals, though the severity of injuries could not be immediately confirmed.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and rescue operations were ongoing at the time of reporting. Authorities indicated the situation remained fluid, with the total number of evacuated persons not yet established.
With information from Brussels Signal
