Germany: 3 dead, 16 injured in overnight explosion, blaze

Officials in Düsseldorf say it is unclear what caused a fire that engulfed an apartment building on Thursday. Three men were killed in the incident and two of the sixteen hospitalized sustained life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters and police officials say it is unclear what exactly caused a massive early-morning explosion and fire on Thursday in the western German city of Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

However, officials did say there were no preliminary indications of foul play or arson.

The fire broke out after an explosion in the ground-floor food and beverage shop of a six-story building jarred residents from their sleep, shattering windows in neighboring houses.

Flames quickly engulfed the site, with panicked residents calling emergency services and those on lower floors jumping from balconies onto the glass-strewn street below.

Scores of firefighters battled flames and saved people trapped on balconies

More than 100 firefighters, police and emergency services workers were at the site to extinguish the fire, evacuate those trapped on balconies and assist those in need.

The Düsseldorf Fire Department said some 70 people were attended to during the 9-hour operation.

Three men were reported dead, with one found in his apartment and two more in the stairwell. Officials say 16 people were hospitalized, two with life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters were on site for nearly nine hours, battling flames, and rescuing those residents trapped inside the building

Fire experts searching for clues after structural engineers give all-clear to enter site

Fire experts are now inspecting the site in a search for clues as to the cause of the fire after structural engineers gave the all-clear for them to enter the building.

As a precaution, city workers temporarily capped a gas line to the building as it remains unclear if the explosion may have been the result of a technical defect, an accident or foul play.

Traffic, including for streetcars, was largely shut down along the busy street — which was lined with charred vehicles, chunks of metal, masonry, plastic and glass — for most of the day.

Addressing state lawmakers on Thursday, North Rhine Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reuel said, “there are no clues about nothing.”

Mayor Stephan Keller, who inspected the site, said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, whom he said had “experienced immeasurable suffering.”

Keller wished the injured a “full and speedy recovery” and thanked firefighters for their “quick response and tireless efforts,” saying they had saved many lives.