Carnival float goes up in flames: at least one seriously injured Houthi militia threatens escalation – the night update

A serious accident put an end to a carnival parade in Kehl, Baden-Württemberg on Sunday: Six people were injured when a parade bus caught fire, at least one seriously, police in Offenburg announced. The parade, which was watched by several tens of thousands of people from the side of the road, was canceled.

To save themselves from the flames, several people riding on the trailer of the parade bus of a carnival group from Glottertal jumped into the street.

According to the city of Kehl, the fire broke out in the interior of the car, which depicted a ship. According to the police, the moving van was severely damaged. The city announced that the victim, who was seriously injured by the fire, was flown to a clinic in a rescue helicopter.

According to information from the city of Kehl, the helicopter was initially unable to land at the emergency scene, but circled over it and was eventually diverted to Sundheim airport. The burned moving van was removed shortly after 5 p.m.

Police said the cause of the fire was when an engine on a trailer exploded shortly after 3 p.m. This caused the fire. According to the police, the fire brigade quickly extinguished the fire. The Kehler Fire Department was on scene with 16 emergency services. The police cannot yet provide information about the extent of the damage. Officers from the Kehl Police Station began the investigation.

According to the city, the parade started as a joyful and exuberant celebration at 1:30 p.m. “When the car caught fire, more than a third of the 95 groups had just passed the stands on the market square.”

To avoid chaos, the city authorities and the Kehler Fastnacht support association agreed that both the music and the sale of drinks and food in the fool’s village on the market square and in the area in front of the town hall could continue until 6 p.m.

Resident Jan Fritzsche describes what happened around 3 p.m.: “We heard an explosion and then it suddenly started to burn. Fire brigade, police and ambulance were immediately on site. Here the people were first evacuated and then the fire was extinguished. It was quite warm here.” The fire brigade has asked people to leave quickly.

Serious incidents sometimes occur again and again during carnival parades: in Eppingen in 2018, an 18-year-old was held over a kettle of hot water by a group of disguised witches during a carnival parade. The young woman burned her legs. The boiler was mounted on a group towing vehicle and was heated by a wood stove.

In 2017, a 26-year-old was used to protect a tractor during a carnival parade in Hambrücken near Karlsruhe. However, the young woman tripped and was run over by the car. She suffered life-threatening injuries. Also in 2017, a then 21-year-old fell from a carnival float during a parade at Markt Indersdorf, Upper Bavaria. He fell from a height of four meters, hitting his head on the ground and was seriously injured. (sda/dpa)