Police seek witnesses after Mannsdorf warehouse fire

Police are seeking information about the occupants of a dark sedan seen near a warehouse fire in Mannsdorf an der Donau, in Gänserndorf district, in mid-July. ORF reported that the vehicle was seen driving through the town around midnight and near the burning warehouse.

The sedan reportedly travelled several times along the B3 road through Mannsdorf in an unusual manner. Two or three people are believed to have been inside. Witnesses also saw the vehicle on a field road close to the warehouse.

Police believe the car may have been a BMW with dark-coloured wheels. Its dipped headlights and fog lights were switched on.

Information can be given to the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office on 059 133 30 3333. The police said tips can be treated confidentially on request.

Several possible causes

Investigators said several possible ignition sources remain under consideration and have neither been confirmed nor ruled out. These include an electrical or technical fault, hot or glowing particles, or an open flame.

Initial estimates put the damage at a mid-seven-figure amount in euros.

About 140 firefighters responded to the fire in mid-July. The approximately 1,600-square-metre warehouse housed agricultural machinery used for asparagus production, according to the fire service, and could not be saved. Flying sparks also ignited the roof of a nearby church, but the fire was quickly extinguished.