- A major fire broke out in Alpnach Dorf (OW) on Monday evening.
- A residential building with an attached warehouse and workshop was fully engulfed in flames.
- Three people were slightly injured, including two firefighters.
Legend:
A house and two outbuildings in Alpnach village were destroyed by the flames.
Obwalden cantonal police
The fire in the southern Baumgarten district of the municipality of Alpnach was reported by passers-by at 7:34 p.m. to the operations center of the Obwalden cantonal police. According to the police, a resident had to be rescued from the apartment building. She suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene. After that she was placed with relatives.
Two firefighters were also slightly injured. Another person who did not live in the affected house was prevented by passers-by from going into the building to save items. A total of three buildings were in full fire, a residential building and two outbuildings.
More buildings saved from the flames
The adjacent buildings were at risk from the fire, including a parquet factory and a cabinet maker’s workshop. They were successfully protected by the fire brigade. According to the canton police, the fire was under control by 10 p.m. The Alpnach, Sarnen, Kerns and Stans fire brigades, as well as the rescue service and the canton police, were deployed in large numbers.
Heavy smoke developed in the Alpnach Dorf area. The population was instructed by the police and on the radio to keep windows and doors closed and to remain in the buildings.
According to initial findings, the fire broke out in the area of the extension of the house, as it was called. The affected buildings were totaled. The cause of the fire is currently being determined by the cantonal police in Obwalden, in cooperation with the Zurich Forensic Institute, according to a press release.