During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, there was a major operation involving the fire department, emergency services, and aid organizations. In a 17-story apartment building on Hechtsheimer Straße, a fire broke out in an apartment on the second floor for reasons that are still unclear. The fire department was alerted at around 1:40 a.m. When the fire department arrived, the apartment was already fully engulfed in flames and the hallway on the second floor of the affected part of the building was already filled with smoke. Immediately after the first responders arrived, the window pane of the affected apartment broke and flames shot out of the window, threatening the apartments above the burning apartment. The smoke from the fire also spread to the floors above.

Due to the situation, additional fire department and medical services were called in.

Rescue operations were initiated immediately to bring people to safety. Some of those trapped by the smoke had to be rescued from their balconies with the help of a turntable ladder vehicle. However, most of the residents were able to escape to safety via the stairwells. No one had to be rescued from the apartment where the fire broke out.

Nine people suffered minor to moderate injuries in the fire; seven of them were taken to hospital by the emergency services. Around 70 other residents, some of whom had been woken from their sleep, were looked after and cared for by the medical and support services for the duration of the operation, although not all of those affected made use of this service.

The apartment where the fire broke out burned down completely. However, thanks to the immediate firefighting measures taken by the fire department, which involved both an interior attack using breathing apparatus and an exterior attack using a turntable ladder, the fire was successfully contained to this one apartment and prevented from spreading to other apartments or floors.
The fire department's further measures consisted of checking the floors above and searching for any people who might have been trapped by the smoke. Due to the smoke, several teams with breathing apparatus were deployed for this purpose. Due to the personnel requirements, additional emergency services were called to the scene. Once it was ensured that no one was in danger, extensive ventilation measures were carried out with several ventilation devices to remove the smoke from the building.

The apartment where the fire broke out is no longer habitable until further notice. The affected hallway in the affected part of the building was so badly damaged by smoke that the adjoining apartments were no longer habitable during the night. The firefighting measures caused water damage to the floor below, but it remained usable.

The operation was completed at around 5:00 a.m., and with the exception of the residents of the floor where the fire broke out, all other persons were able to return to their apartments. The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

A total of around 65 members of the professional and volunteer fire departments from several districts (including Bretzenheim, Weisenau, Gonsenheim, Bretzenheim, and Finthen) as well as around 40 members of the medical and support services were on site. Additional volunteer firefighters manned the vacant professional fire department stations for the duration of the operation and provided logistical support, bringing the total number of firefighters involved to around 100. The rescue service and police were also on site with several vehicles.

The fire department was not granted a long rest that night: immediately after the end of the operation on Hechtsheimer Straße, the fire department was called to a basement fire in Weisenau shortly after 5 a.m. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, smoke extraction proved difficult, so that the smoke extraction measures at this site continued until 7:30 a.m.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Björn Patzke
Vehicles BF/FF: around 20 vehicles in total
Personnel BF/FF: mentioned in
the text Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration

At 7:05 p.m., the Mainz Fire Department was notified of a room fire on Alte Mainzer Straße. The fire department control center immediately alerted a firefighting unit from the professional fire department and the responsible volunteer fire department.
Before the fire department arrived, two young men had attempted to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. Although this did not extinguish the fire, it certainly delayed the spread of the flames. Thus, the first responders' efforts were somewhat successful.

On site, the Hechtsheim fire department noticed smoke coming from an apartment on the second floor. The 16-year-old daughter was there and reported a fire in the kitchen. The mother and older sister were not at home at the time. The other residents and tenants of the building had already left the building.

As the apartment door had closed behind them when they left, the fire department had to force their way into the apartment where the fire had broken out. The smoke had already spread throughout the entire apartment. Wearing breathing apparatus and equipped with a C-pipe, the Hechtsheim fire department entered the apartment and located burning food in the kitchen. The fire had already spread to other kitchen equipment. However, the fire was quickly extinguished with a few liters of water. The fire department carried out ventilation measures with the help of a battery-powered fan.

During the operation, the three residents' cat was found and rescued. The animal was handed over to the mother.

Three people were injured during the operation and were treated by the emergency services. All three had inhaled smoke. The 16-year-old resident of the apartment was taken to hospital for observation. The two first responders were discharged after being examined. 

The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. In addition to the fire department, several patrol cars, one rescue vehicle, and one ambulance were also deployed.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Rüdiger Zeuner-Christ
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/1
Personnel BF/FF: 18/9
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

At around 10:40 p.m., a fire broke out in a room on Woynastraße in Mainz's Neustadt district for unknown reasons. The emergency call was made by the resident himself, who reported that he was lying helplessly in the burning room and needed urgent help.

When the first professional firefighters arrived, two teams wearing heavy breathing apparatus immediately began rescuing the person, who was handed over to the emergency medical services with serious injuries.
Following the rescue, the fire was quickly extinguished with a C-pipe. The early use of a positive pressure fan and a smoke protection curtain kept the stairwell smoke-free throughout the entire operation.

To minimize water damage, the water used to extinguish the fire was subsequently removed with a water vacuum. The professional fire department was supported by the Mainz-Stadt volunteer fire department.

The apartment where the fire broke out is uninhabitable until further notice, but all other residents were able to return to their apartments after the operation.

Tram services were disrupted during the firefighting operations. The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. In addition to the fire department, the police were also on site with several patrol cars, and the rescue service with two ambulances and an emergency doctor.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Axel Kiesewalter
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/1
Personnel BF/FF: 18/6
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.