Improperly discarded cigarette ends sparked Pasching house fire

Improperly discarded cigarette ends caused a fire in a semi-detached house in Pasching, in the Linz-Land district, ORF reported. State Criminal Police Office investigators and an expert found that smoking debris on the floor near a sofa was the likely cause. They ruled out other possible ignition sources, including heating appliances and electrical or mechanical sources.

The fire broke out on Friday evening. A 24-year-old neighbour, Alexander Ebner, pulled a 66-year-old man who appeared to be unconscious from the smoke-filled building and onto a terrace. Emergency crews resuscitated the man and took him to the Brothers of Mercy hospital in Linz, where he was receiving intensive care on Saturday.

Firefighters also rescued two women from the building’s first floor: Ebner’s 64-year-old mother and his 93-year-old grandmother. The grandmother was brought out through a first-floor window using an aerial ladder. Firefighters helped Ebner’s mother escape.

The Ebner family was taken to a Linz hospital for medical checks, but all three were discharged on Saturday.