Kropp senior housing explosion leaves one missing, several injured
An explosion in a ground-floor apartment of a senior housing complex in Kropp, Schleswig-Flensburg, on Monday morning triggered a full fire and a large-scale rescue operation. One person remains unaccounted for, and several residents were treated for smoke inhalation.
Explosion and fire in ground-floor apartment
On Monday morning, an explosion tore through a middle ground-floor flat in a multi-family house for seniors in Kropp, Schleswig-Flensburg. When firefighters arrived, the apartment was fully ablaze. Police said the cause of the blast was not yet known. The building has 29 registered residents.
Rescue operation and missing person
Firefighters used a turntable ladder to evacuate many residents from balconies. Twenty ambulances and up to 200 emergency workers were on the scene. The local fire command reported that 28 of the 29 residents had been accounted for; one person remained missing.
Some residents suffered smoke inhalation, but exact injury figures were not released."We know where 28 are. One is still being sought."
Structural damage and stabilization
The pressure wave from the explosion shattered windows and blew doors out of their frames, damaging the house and some adjacent buildings. The THW was called to shore up the structure before fire investigators could enter the burned flat. The entire area was cordoned off. Police declared the house uninhabitable.
Investigation pending
No cause has been determined. Police have not ruled out a gas leak, but a full examination will begin only once the building is stabilized.
