A fire in the boat storage hall of the Altländer yacht centre in Johann-Ropers-Trift on the site of the former pioneer training area in Grünendeich triggered a major fire brigade operation on Monday afternoon. Thanks to the courageous intervention of attentive passers-by and the employees of a yacht service company, damage running into millions was prevented.
At around 2.10 pm, passers-by noticed smoke rising from the boat shed. They immediately alerted the employees of the nearby yacht service company and made an emergency call at the same time. The fire and rescue control centre then alerted a large contingent of seven fire brigades from Grünendeich, Steinkirchen, Hollern-Twielenfleth, Borstel, Mittelkirchen, Guderhandviertel and Stade.
First responders extinguish flames before the fire brigade arrives
When the first emergency services arrived at the scene, the employees of the yacht service company had already smothered the flames on the affected boat with a powder extinguisher. A stroke of luck: one of the Optima's hatches happened to be open, allowing the first responders to fight the flames directly. The firefighters advanced under heavy breathing protection, extinguished the last remaining embers and checked the boat for further sources of danger using a thermal imaging camera.
The employees of the yacht service company, who acted as first responders, were examined on site by emergency paramedics from the Guderhandviertel DRK rescue centre. Transport to hospital was not necessary.
Police investigate cause of fire
Officers from the Horneburg police station have begun investigating the cause of the fire. The amount of damage caused is not yet known, but thanks to the quick and prudent actions of passers-by and in particular the employees of the yacht service company, damage running into millions was prevented.
What the fire brigade says about the fire
Matthias Brandt is the press spokesman for the Lühe joint municipality fire brigade. He is unable to comment on the cause of the fire due to the ongoing investigations. "No one was working on the ship at the time, it was unattended," he explains. It was therefore very lucky that the fire was discovered: "It was a coincidence that it was during the day and that the fire was discovered so quickly. If the fire had started a few hours later, after work, the outcome could have been very different."
He praises the boathouse operators for having enough fire extinguishers on hand. "That proved to be very, very important here. The boats are always stored very close together in the warehouses, and most warehouses are not monitored with an automatic fire alarm." He therefore recommends that owners equip their private boat not only with fire extinguishers, but also with a smoke detector, because "a fire like this doesn't necessarily have to occur in the boat storage hall, it can also occur when the owners are asleep on board".
Fire hazard in winter storage: common causes and how to avoid them
The fire in Grünendeich shows once again how quickly dangerous situations can arise in boat storage sheds. In this case, the worst was prevented. However, devastating fires in winter storage facilities occur time and again in Germany - with total losses running into the millions.
The causes range from arson to personal negligence due to improper behaviour. The most common causes of fire include electrical appliances and overloaded power grids. The hall regulations in Grünendeich also explicitly stipulate that owners must disconnect their boats from the power supply when they are absent.
Flammable liquids such as petroleum or spirits, as well as chemical residues, can also be a fire hazard. A hidden danger, which Matthias Brandt also points out, lurks in cleaning cloths: "Some oils used to soak cotton cloths can ignite unnoticed at some point. They should never be left on board!"
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
