Villach apartment fire: Smoke detector rescues sleeping couple

A sleeping couple was rescued without injury from an apartment fire in the Völkendorf district of Villach, Austria. The incident occurred shortly before midnight in a multi-party residential building.

Neighbors alerted emergency services after hearing a smoke detector and noticing the smell of smoke in the stairwell. Because the occupants did not respond to knocks or calls, firefighters from the Villach Main Fire Station and the Judendorf Volunteer Fire Department used a hydraulic tool to force entry into the third-floor apartment.

A search team located the couple sleeping in a bedroom that had not yet filled with smoke. Fire officials identified the cause of the fire as burnt food remnants left on a stove. Approximately 25 emergency personnel, including police and Red Cross representatives, worked for about an hour to clear the smoke using high-performance fans.