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FIRE

German firefighters ‘set fires to look like heroes’

Four firemen have been convicted of arson in northern Germany after it emerged that they were regularly setting fires so they could heroically extinguish them.

Published: 22 December 2015 16:33 CET
German firefighters 'set fires to look like heroes'
File photo: DPA

The four volunteers repeatedly set fire to hay bales or stores – or were aware of plans to do so.

In her ruling, the judge at the youth court in Ahrensburg, Schleswig-Holstein explained that without the leadership of one of the men, the crimes would never have come to fruition.

SEE ALSO: French firefighters: why are they so smoking hot?

This ringleader was handed an 18-month suspended sentence for arson in a group and incitement to cause property damage, as well as 100 hours of community service.

His three fellow accused who confessed to abetting arson and property damage received fines of between €300 and €1,000.

All four of the former firefighters, aged 20 to 22, will now face compulsory psychological interviews.

 

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FIRE

Why have there been so many fires in Copenhagen this year?

Thursday’s fire at Denmark’s tax ministry follows a blaze at the historic Old Stock Exchange and several fires at the headquarters of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on the outskirts of Copenhagen.

Published: 27 June 2024 15:11 CEST
Why have there been so many fires in Copenhagen this year?

A fire broke out on Thursday morning on the roof of the building which houses Denmark’s Tax Ministry in central Copenhagen, which fire services in the capital were able to put out shortly afterwards.

The Tax Ministry fire is at least the fifth high-profile blaze in and around Copenhagen since April, following three at different buildings owned by pharma giant Novo Nordisk and the devastating fire which turned parts of the historic Old Stock Exchange (Børsen) to rubble.

The high number of fires occurring within a relatively short period appears to be down to no more than chance, Jens Kastvig, an expert with the Danish Society of Engineers said to newswire Ritzau.

“There’s always a risk that a fire can break out in a building,” Kastvig said, noting that the average annual fire rate is around one per 100,000 to 150,000 square metre of building.

“That could be anything from a smaller to a larger fire,” he said.

Kastvig said that he initially guessed the Tax Ministry fire was the result of renovation work.

Both Børsen and the Novo Nordisk buldings were also undergoing renovations at the time of their fires. This increases the risk of fire breaking out in a more flammable material such as bitumen waterproofing, or a fire otherwise related to the ongoing work.

No renovations were ongoing at the Tax Ministry however, the building’s owner ATP Ejendomme has confirmed.

“The fire services are busy at the moment. But I hope it’s a coincidence,” Kastvig said.

Tim Ole Sørensen of the Copenhagen Fire Service, Hovedstadens Beredskab, said on Thursday that there was no suggestion that the fires were related.

“There’s nothing that indicates any form of connection at all to us, and we are talking about very different businesses and types of building,” he said.

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