Large construction site fire in Reutlingen: Fire brigade fights for hours!

Large construction site fire in Reutlingen: Fire brigade fights for hours!

On the night of Friday to Saturday, on October 25, 2025, there was a violent fire at a construction site on Eninger Weg in Reutlingen. The emergency call reached the integrated control center for fire and rescue services at 11:39 p.m. When the emergency services arrived, part of the single-family home was already on fire. Fortunately, firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the building, averting major damage.

The Reutlingen fire department was on duty with eight vehicles for around five hours. They paid particular attention to the wood fiber insulation, which proved to be particularly problematic in this case. The fire quickly spread into these insulation materials and the extinguishing work lasted until the early hours of the morning. Only then could extensive clearing and cleaning work begin. Fortunately, there were no suspicious injuries, but the police have started an investigation into the cause of the fire in order to identify possible sources of danger.

The challenges of wood fiber insulation

Preventing and fighting fires in buildings with wood fiber insulation represents a particular challenge. According to a new technical recommendation, which was prepared in collaboration with the Munich Fire Department as well as the Technical University of Munich and the Hamburg Fire Department, wood fiber insulation made from softwood such as spruce or pine is highly flammable. These materials consist of at least 85 percent wood fibers and contain a high proportion of resin, which makes extinguishing work even more difficult. The technical recommendation “Extinguishing measures for fires involving wood fiber insulation” offers valuable starting points for minimizing the effort involved in such operations.

A central point here is the creation of corridors in order to reduce the use of resources and increase efficiency through tactical measures. Fire service associations such as the German Fire Brigade Association have worked intensively to develop strategies that make it easier for emergency services to effectively deal with such risky situations.

Statistical insights into building fires

Current statistics on fire risk from the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection. V. (vfdb) shows that kitchens are the most common place for fires in residential buildings at 27 percent. In addition, 83 percent of building fires occur up to the second floor, although the period between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. can cause greater damage. These data illustrate the explosiveness of fires late at night, despite a lower number of operations.

The vfdb has also collected comprehensive data and modernized a fire statistics collection form that takes new fire risks such as electromobility into account. More than 5,000 operational reports have been documented in recent years. A call for help from the fire departments is intended to help fill this database in order to better assess and avert future fire risks.

In view of the current events in Reutlingen, it is more important than ever that the fire brigade and the public are made aware of the dangers of fires in modern buildings. The combination of highly flammable materials and potentially unpredictable operating conditions can have fatal consequences. But with successful prevention and informed emergency services, many fires can perhaps be prevented in the future.

Further information and recommendations for dealing with fires involving wood fiber insulation are available online on the website of the Fire Brigade Association.

The fire brigade's operations and the question of the causes of the fire are also part of a larger discussion about the security situation in our region. These topics need to be discussed not only in specialist circles, but also in public. In this way, each individual can contribute to safer living.

Read more about the fires in the German Fire Statistics and the current developments in fire protection.

For updates on this and similar topics, take a look at Polizei News.