Three Indian nationals in their twenties died after a fire swept through a residential building in Bochum, Germany, in the early hours of Tuesday. German authorities have arrested a 41-year-old resident of the building on suspicion of murder after ruling out a technical fault as the cause of the blaze.
Police said they suspect arson may have been involved, but the exact cause of the fire and a possible motive have not yet been established.
The fire broke out at a block of flats on Poststrasse in Bochum’s Hofstede district, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In separate interviews with WDR, neighbours alleged that there had been previous disturbances at or near the building, including fights and rubbish being set on fire. They also claimed that a security company had been deployed there for some time but was no longer present. These claims have not been independently verified. Police have also not established any link between the alleged disturbances and the fatal fire.
Emergency crews were called at about 4.15 am local time after witnesses raised the alarm.
Officers had earlier visited the property, including as recently as Sunday, but said those incidents have no known connection to the fatal fire. Investigators told WDR that, based on the evidence available so far, these earlier incidents were not connected to Tuesday’s fatal fire.
How the Bochum fire trapped residents on upper floors
The three Indian nationals were found in the second-floor flat as crews searched the building. Around 90 firefighters, ambulance workers and other emergency personnel were involved at the height of the operation.
The fire service said attempts to resuscitate them failed.
