100,000 euros in property damage: man (23) sets house on fire with shisha

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Inferno of lights in Neustadt an der Orla (D). An apartment building caught fire on Tuesday evening and 68 firefighters tried to extinguish the flames. The culprit would be a forgetful shisha smoker, as ‘Bild’ reports. The 23-year-old enjoyed smoking a hookah that evening. He then left the house to get some fresh air. But apparently he forgot that there was still ash in the shisha bowl. When he returns, smoke is coming from his apartment directly under the roof.

As “Bild” writes, the ash from the shisha bowl must have fallen to the floor and then set the entire room on fire. The damage amounts to 100,000 euros, equivalent to almost 95,000 francs.

Cigarette butts often cause fires

In Switzerland, approximately 500 fires are caused annually by careless handling of smoking products. Smoking in bed is particularly dangerous, writes the Bernese construction insurer (GVB). Nowhere is there a greater risk of falling asleep and losing control of what is happening. Especially because textiles and fabrics ignite quickly.

But the slowly smoldering embers also pose a major risk factor: as the GVB Bern states on its website, cigarettes contain various special flammable substances that can continue to smolder for up to 15 minutes even without oxygen supply. In addition, cigarette butts should never be thrown in the garbage bag as they can ignite hours later. Instead, you should store the leftovers in an airtight container, as the lack of oxygen helps with smoldering.

Fire in Solothurn

The problem is real, as shown in the following case from 2018. Seven people, including two children, died in a fire in an apartment building. The then 25-year-old resident Jenny S.* lit the fire with a cigarette. She was subsequently charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide, among other things. However, the public prosecutor had to stop the proceedings because Jenny S. died before the trial. Apparently an incorrect mix of medications was responsible. Jenny S. was mentally ill and wanted a sex change. The various medications she had to take for her psychological condition and for her intended sex change resulted in a deadly mix of medications. Only the survivors of the fire victims and Jenny S.’s relatives remained behind.

*Name changed

Source: Blick