Great fire in Hückelhoven: Former mattress factory in flames!

Great fire in Hückelhoven: Former mattress factory in flames!

The Hückelhoven fire brigade was alerted to a smoldering fire in the former mattress factory on Friday evening, January 26, 2025, at 8:50 p.m. A passerby had previously discovered a fire certificate and informed the emergency services. When they arrived, the firefighters immediately came across strong smoke, which led to an immediate subsequent demand. The fire in the production hall, which stretched over an area of ​​13,000 square meters, was quickly localized, but the front part of the hall was already heavily smoky. This required targeted fire fighting.

In order to minimize the risk to the emergency services, a mobile water cannon was positioned on the loading ramp. Respiratory protection teams opened several roller gates and used high -performance fans to reduce the smoke. Despite the use of these devices, the fire brigade had to request a fire -fighting support vehicle (Luf) from the Heinsberg district, since the high -performance fans were not sufficient. With the air, the smoke development could be significantly reduced, which enabled targeted fire fighting.

Red fire and massive missions

At 10:30 p.m., the deletion measures showed the first successes and the first emergency services were able to enter. At 11:30 p.m., the fire of 7 m³ was finally deleted, consisting of foam and wooden panels. A total of 119 emergency services, including the fire brigade, emergency services, police and regulatory office, were on site. The fire brigade ended in the night around 1:30 a.m.

However, the situation escalated on Saturday evening when another fire broke out in the same place. Around 8:15 p.m., the firefighters reported an “inferno” and requested additional extinguishing. Firefighters from Erkelenz, Heinsberg and Geilenkirchen as well as special vehicles from the fire protection center were mobilized. The technical relief organization (THW) was also requested for the large -scale illumination of the site.

Due to the size of the fire and the risk of collapse of the hall, the operations management was forced to choose a controlled burning of the building. During this same night, the first emergency services were replaced by further units from Heinsberg, Gangelt, Geilenkirchen and Wegberg.

preventive measures and investigations

The fire brigade did everything possible to protect adjacent houses from the flames, slapped the meter high out of the building and sometimes brought the roof structure to collapse. The column of smoke was visible from many kilometers away, and residents were asked to close windows and doors via the warning app Nina. There was finally an all -clear around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning. Apparently nobody was injured.

The reason for the fire has so far been unclear why the criminal police have started investigations. Arson cannot be excluded, especially since a smaller fire was found in the same place on Friday. This raises questions about the safety of the building and possible causes. According to the wdr.de , the firefighters reported on a challenging use, which not only required technical skills, but also a coordinated effort of many different units.

The events in Hückelhoven not only make a highlight of the challenges of the fire brigade, but also present the importance of an effective alarm and operational structure within the municipality.