Police arrest resident over suspected arson in Salzburg

A 27-year-old resident has been arrested on suspicion of setting a fire in his apartment in Salzburg’s Lehen district, ORF reported Saturday. Police said investigators had concluded the fire was deliberately started.

The fire broke out on the evening of October 24 in a ground-floor apartment in a multi-unit building. The apartment was already fully ablaze when firefighters arrived, but they prevented the flames from spreading to other homes.

Police said an external ignition source had been introduced. The apartment’s resident had given differing accounts of the cause of the fire immediately afterwards. Police have not disclosed a possible motive.

Dozens of residents were evacuated during the night and took temporary shelter from the cold in trolleybuses. Several people were treated for suspected smoke inhalation and taken to hospital. Residents later returned to the building. The fire completely destroyed the apartment.