Horror hospital fire kills 3 as trapped patients scream out of windows for help

THREE ELDERLY MEN, AGED BETWEEN 84 AND 87, HAVE SADLY DIED IN A DEVASTATING FIRE AT A GERMAN HOSPITAL THAT ALSO CAUSED SCORES OF INJURIES AND SAW ONE PERSON DETAINED 21:56, 01 Jun

2025Updated 21:57, 01 Jun 2025 Three people have died and dozens more left injured after a huge fire tore through a hospital. Victims were left desperately screaming out of the windows for

help as the Marienkrankenhaus hospital in Hamburg, Germany went up in flames. Firefighters were alerted to the blaze shortly after midnight after it broke out in a room in the elderly ward

on the ground floor of the building. The fire initially ignited the façade of the hospital, before spreading across all four floors. The three people who died were men aged 84, 85 and 87,

police said in a statement. Another 34 people were injured, with one confirmed this morning to be in a life-threatening condition. Another patient, aged 72, was detained on suspicion of

starting the blaze. Many of the injured patients were treated at the hospital itself, though two were taken to nearby clinics. A total of 220 firefighters were sent to the scene, who were

able to put out the fire within about 20 minutes. Article continues below Footage from the scene shows firefighters hosing down the charred remains of the ground floor by torchlight, while

ambulance crews take out multiple people on stretchers. Other patients are led away from the scene on foot as they are covered in blankets for warmth. Firefighters said they found several

patients at the windows calling for help, and telling them that they could not escape their rooms after smoke blocked the exits. People were rescued using ladders and through the building

itself. Many of those trapped were elderly and had mobility issues, adding to the complex rescue effort. Later today, police said witness interviews suggested that a 72-year-old patient may

have set the fire. He was detained at the hospital on suspicion of arson. A statement from Polizei Hamburg said: "In the course of collecting witness examination, there were signs that

a 72-year-old patient could be a strong suspect of the fire." Investigators are looking into whether mental illness was a factor, they added. The Catholic hospital's managing

director, Christoph Schmitz, said he had taken "immediate measures to prevent further danger" to patients. Article continues below He added that the hospital would fully co-operate

with authorities in their enquiries. The incident carries echoes of a similar hospital fire a few miles away in the town of Uelzen last year, in which five people died. Firefighters and

police, some using ladders, rescued several patients from their rooms after the blaze took hold late in the evening on January 4, 2024. Six people were seriously injured and 16 others had

lesser injuries, having suffered smoke inhalation and burns.