Fatal New Year's Eve fire in Würzburg: 42-year-old charged with negligent manslaughter
An 88-year-old woman died of smoke inhalation following an apartment fire on New Year's Eve. A man now faces trial at Würzburg District Court.
Charges brought after New Year's Eve tragedy in Würzburg: firework sparked fatal fire
More than ten months after a fatal apartment fire on New Year's Eve, a 42-year-old man appeared before Würzburg District Court on 14 October. The public prosecutor's office charged him with negligent manslaughter and negligent arson, according to the authority. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on the case.
The defendant is alleged to have set off a firework rocket on New Year's Eve night, which sparked a fire on the balcony of a first-floor flat in a multi-family apartment building. He is said to have discharged the firework contrary to all duty of care, using a broken wooden stick in his hand. The flames subsequently spread to the flat itself.
Rescue workers found the 88-year-old flat owner unconscious in the rooms. She was immediately brought outside and admitted to hospital, but died that night from smoke inhalation.
The suspect was identified through witness statements from residents and through the evaluation of video recordings from New Year's Eve night. There had initially been another suspect, but investigators determined that his involvement in the incident could not be sufficiently proven.
The District Court has set only one trial day so far, to which nine witnesses have been summoned.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung