Dramatic room fires in Neumünster: retirement home evacuated!

Dramatic room fires in Neumünster: retirement home evacuated!

On Thursday afternoon, September 4th, 2025, two room fires occurred in Neumünster, which caused great alarm among the emergency services. The first fire was reported at around 12:30 p.m. in an apartment on Paul-Böhm-Straße, where around 40 emergency services were on site. Surprisingly, there was a poisonous frog in a terrarium in the apartment - fortunately there were no injuries, as ndr.de reports.

Almost an hour after the first operation, the fire department was alerted again, this time at 1:20 p.m. because of a fire in the “Haus am Jungfernstieg” retirement home on Boostedter Straße in the Wittorf district. Home employees were already active here and had evacuated some residents from the affected building. A total of around 60 fire and rescue services were on site to extinguish the fire in the basement. The fire was quickly brought under control. All evacuated residents were taken to the neighboring building and medically examined there; there were no injuries, as reported by kn-online.de.

Increased fire risks in care facilities

The incidents in Neumünster shed light on the general fire risks in nursing homes. Statistics from the Federal Association of Technical Fire Protection e. V. show that a total of 176 fires were registered in social facilities in 2022, including many in retirement homes. The dangers lie not only in the cause of the fire, but also in the special demands that the physical and psychological condition of many residents place on the evacuation. In Germany, over 700,000 people live in care facilities, but standardized fire protection regulations are missing, so old people's and nursing homes are considered unregulated special buildings without special requirements, as the fire protection web portal explains.

Particular risks arise from defective electrical devices, negligent handling of fire and limited escape options. Effective fire protection measures are therefore essential. This includes structural measures such as the use of non-combustible materials, as well as organizational approaches such as regular fire drills and staff training. Preventive training of staff and raising residents' awareness of how to deal with fire are crucial steps in minimizing risks.

In Neumünster, the most important security protocols apparently remained intact, which enabled the emergency services to act quickly and prevent anything worse from happening. The cause of the fire in the retirement home is currently unclear, as is the extent of the damage caused. However, the situation in Neumünster shows how important it is for both older people and those working in care facilities to take the fire risks seriously and take appropriate precautionary measures.