This Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in a room on Mittlere Talstraße in Mainz-Laubenheim, during which a woman was rescued.

Firefighters, emergency medical services, and police were alerted shortly after 8 a.m. When they arrived at the scene, flames were shooting out of a window on the ground floor. Thick black smoke was coming out of other windows on the ground floor and in the attic. Based on initial reports from neighbors, it was assumed that the 94-year-old resident was still in the apartment. So, the fire department went into the house as quickly as possible with up to three breathing apparatus teams and was able to rescue a woman alive.

The injured person was handed over to the emergency services with inhalation trauma and immediately transported to the university hospital. By the end of the firefighting operations, it was still unclear whether this was indeed the person reported there, but it was likely.

The living room is almost completely burned out. All other rooms were heavily affected by smoke and are currently uninhabitable. No statements can be made about the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage. The criminal investigation department has launched an investigation.

In addition to the Mainz fire department, the police, the rescue service (including the health section management), and Mainz Networks (electricity and gas) were also on site.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Rüdiger Zeuner-Christ Fire department
vehicles: 5/2 Fire department
personnel: 12/12
Image rights: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the Mainz Fire Department was called to two apartment fires in Mainz Neustadt almost simultaneously. Firefighters from both stations rushed to the scenes at Bismarckplatz and Bonifaziusstraße.

At 2:17 p.m., parts of a kitchen unit caught fire in an apartment building on Bismarckplatz. While preparing food, the pot suddenly caught fire and set the extractor hood above it and the adjacent wall cabinets on fire. The resident was able to leave her apartment on her own and inform her neighbors. When the fire department arrived, the other residents of the apartment building were in the process of leaving. The stairwell was still passable, although smoke from the fire was also entering the stairwell through the open apartment door.
Wearing breathing apparatus, the Mainz fire department gained access to the kitchen and was able to quickly extinguish the burning objects. Even though the fire was confined to the kitchenette, the entire apartment was affected by the smoke. The family is therefore unable to use their apartment and must stay in emergency accommodation until the fire damage has been repaired.

Just 20 minutes later, another apartment fire broke out in Mainz-Neustadt. At 2:39 p.m., not far from the first incident, an apartment on Bonifaziusstraße caught fire.  Here, neighbors had alerted the fire department because apartment smoke detectors were sounding and the smell of smoke was noticeable. The residents of the apartment building were able to leave their apartments before the fire department arrived. However, it was unclear whether there were still people in the apartment where the fire had broken out. Two teams wearing breathing apparatus entered the apartment to rescue people and fight the fire. At the same time, the stairwell was kept smoke-free using positive pressure fans. Fortunately, no one was found in the apartment. The fire was confined to one room thanks to the rapid response of the fire department. The residents of the apartment where the fire broke out arrived at the scene during the extinguishing operations. The apartment was disconnected from the power supply and is currently uninhabitable. The young family is staying with friends.

In addition to the fire department, the rescue service and the police were also on site.

Fires occurring at the same time are rare, but not necessarily unlikely. This always poses a particular challenge for the fire department, as personnel and equipment are still tied up at one scene but are already needed at another. In such cases, it is necessary to quickly activate available personnel and dispatch fully equipped vehicles to the scene. To ensure this, the fire department control center can call on off-duty personnel from the ranks of the professional and volunteer fire departments if necessary.

Incident commander: Ambrosius / Kleinschmidt
Vehicles: 8
Personnel: 35

During the night of Saturday, September 12, 2020, at 1:35 a.m., the Mainz Fire Department received a report of a room fire in a basement apartment on Am Jungstück street in Mainz-Laubenheim. The fire department control center then alerted emergency personnel from both professional fire stations as well as the Mainz-Laubenheim Volunteer Fire Department.

When the emergency services arrived, the apartment owner was already safely outside the building. A resident of the apartment building had already managed to contain most of the fire using several liters of tap water and a pot.

A team wearing breathing apparatus checked the smoke-filled basement apartment. A fire had broken out in one room in the area of a sofa. A large amount of foam had burned, causing extreme smoke spread. The fire department carried out follow-up extinguishing work and ventilated the entire building with a positive pressure ventilation device.

The tenant of the affected apartment received first aid from the fire department until the emergency services arrived. During the operation, she was treated on site by the emergency services and an emergency doctor and then taken to a hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.

The resident who was able to contain the fire was also treated on site by the emergency services for suspected smoke inhalation and also had to be transported to a hospital. The resident put herself in extreme danger while attempting to extinguish the fire, as the smoke is highly toxic and can lead to unconsciousness—and even death—after just a few breaths. She was very lucky that nothing worse happened.

At this point, the fire
department would like to remind everyone of the correct behavior in the event of a room or apartment fire:- Get yourself and others to safety
. - Alert the fire department by calling 911
. - Only attempt to extinguish the fire if it is still safe
to do so.- If the room or apartment is already filled with smoke, leave the danger zone immediately
. - Close the doors to the room and apartment where the fire is
. - Instruct the fire department and hand over the keys to the apartment where the fire is
. - If your escape route is blocked, stay in the room or apartment. Close doors and windows to prevent drafts. If possible and necessary, try to seal door cracks, ventilation openings, and the like with wet cloths (e.g., towels). Stay at the window and make yourself visible when the fire department arrives.

The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. No information can yet be provided on the extent of the damage. In addition to the fire department, the following were also on site: The rescue service with two ambulances and an emergency doctor.

Head of operations: Fire Department Chief René Adler Fire department
vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 fire engines, 1 command vehicle, 1 rescue vehicle / 1 fire engine Fire department
personnel: 17 officers from the professional fire department / 6 officers from the Mainz-Laubenheim volunteer fire department

During the night of Sunday, September 13, 2020, at 3:10 a.m., the Mainz Fire Department received a report of a residential fire in an apartment on Am Stollhenn street in Mainz-Mombach. The fire department control center then alerted emergency personnel from both professional fire stations as well as the Mainz-Mombach volunteer fire department. Since several emergency calls had been received by the fire department control center in the meantime and the fire was in an apartment building, the fire department control center raised the alarm level.

When the emergency services arrived, the tenants of the apartment where the fire had broken out had already left the building. Several residents were standing at the windows and on balconies. Some of them had to be rescued by the fire department using portable ladders. The other residents were brought to safety via the stairwell and looked after by the emergency medical services.

Several teams wearing breathing apparatus began fighting the fire and rescuing people at the same time. A fire had broken out in an apartment on the ground floor. The fire department carried out extinguishing work and ventilated the entire building with two positive pressure ventilation devices. During the operation, one firefighter was injured and had to be taken to hospital by the emergency services.

The volunteer fire departments of the city, Bretzenheim, and Marienborn were alerted to staff the abandoned fire stations.

The health section command was deployed to provide care and, later, to partially accommodate the residents and rescued persons. Temporary accommodation was provided in the Mombach volunteer fire department's equipment shed.

The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. No information is yet available on the extent of the damage.

In addition to the fire department, the following were also involved in the operation: the rescue service with three ambulances and an emergency doctor, the organizational head of the rescue service, Mainz Networks, and the police.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Chief Mark Jüliger Fire department
vehicles: 3 command vehicles, 2 fire engines, 2 aerial ladder platforms, 1 command vehicle, 1 multi-purpose vehicle, 1 rescue vehicle, 1 fire engine, 1 multi-purpose vehicle Fire department
personnel: 23 officers from the professional fire department / 8 officers from the Mainz-Mombach volunteer fire
department Image material: Image rights belong to the city administration of Mainz.

During the night of Tuesday, September 22, 2020, the Mainz Fire Department received a report of a serious traffic accident on the L413 at the entrance to Ebersheim. To ensure the fastest possible assistance for the injured, the Ebersheim Volunteer Fire Department and vehicles from both professional fire stations were dispatched to the scene.

At the scene, a car had veered off the road for unknown reasons and collided with the boundary stones erected at the entrance to the town. The driver of the vehicle was trapped in the vehicle with one foot due to the force of the impact. The fire department was able to free the driver after a complicated and time-consuming rescue. The injured person was handed over to the emergency medical services and transported to a hospital in Mainz.

The vehicle was a total write-off as a result of the accident. The entrance to Ebersheim was completely closed for over three hours.

In addition to the fire department, an emergency doctor, the ambulance service, and the police were also on the scene. 

Head of operations: Fire Chief Marius Dick
Vehicles BF/FF: 2/2
Personnel BF/FF: 8/15
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.