Fire in the children's home in Solingen: 60 firefighters save the main building!

Fire in the children's home in Solingen: 60 firefighters save the main building!

On Saturday evening, October 4, 2025, a children's home in Solingen, near Cologne, became the scene of a dramatic fire. The flames broke out in the rear part of the building on Hossenhauser Strasse and created a dangerous situation that could only be defused thanks to the quick intervention of the fire department. After the emergency services arrived, the annex was already fully ablaze and the flames were shooting meters high into the sky. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the main building of the facility remained unscathed, as the fire department with around 60 emergency services was able to prevent the flames from spreading, as n-tv.de reports.

The child and youth welfare facility looks after around 20 children between the ages of 7 and 12 during the week. The fire, the cause of which is still unclear, is now forcing those affected to be uncertain about whether operations will resume on Monday. The police have started an investigation and are trying to clarify the exact circumstances that led to this incident.

Causes of fire and safety risks

Safety in social facilities remains an important issue, especially considering that the risk of fire in similar facilities remains high in Germany. According to bsbrandschutz.de, 162 fires occurred in nursing and retirement homes in 2024 alone, resulting in 27 deaths and 355 injuries. It is alarming that only about half of these fires are solved. The most common causes are negligent or intentional arson as well as technical defects in electrical systems.

A quick response from firefighters and personnel is crucial to preventing anything worse from happening, and experience shows that sprinkler systems could provide significant protection. These not only offer early protection, but can also help to reduce the amount of water during a fire service operation. Nevertheless, sprinkler systems are rarely found, especially in nursing homes in Germany, while they are widespread in other countries, such as the USA.

The reaction of the emergency services

The fire department was on duty for several hours to extinguish the fire and fight embers. Given the dramatic situation, with the flames initially dangerously close to the main building, the response of emergency services was crucial to ensure the safety of children and staff. The quick action showed how important well-equipped fire brigade teams are in such emergencies, as highlighted by tag24.de.

The incident reminds us of the weaknesses in the fire safety infrastructure in social institutions and should serve as an impetus to improve safety precautions to prevent similar incidents in the future. It is important to take the right measures to make such dramatic scenarios a thing of the past.