2024-09-25 08:25:42
After an explosion, a restaurant on the ground floor of a building in Cologne was completely burnt down. Residents in the Pesch area reported a loud noise just before 3 a.m., police said. Not long after, the restaurant caught fire and the windows were broken. The fire department was able to put out the fire, but the place was badly damaged.
The cause is still unclear. It is also investigating whether the incident is linked to a series of recent explosions. So there is no evidence to suggest this, the police and the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. According to witnesses, two unidentified people were seen running away.
A large number of police and fire departments were on the scene in the morning. When the fire department arrived, the situation was very bad, a fire department spokesman said. About 20 people were evacuated from their homes. About an hour later, around 4 am, the fire was extinguished. Residents were then able to return to their apartments. Two residents suffered minor injuries and were treated on scene with suspected smoke inhalation. Rescue workers then released them.
The cafe opened a few months ago and the owners are currently on vacation, said the employee at a nearby bakery. According to the police, it is not known how many shops and other apartments were damaged. The investigation is ongoing and police are looking for witnesses.
Series of blasts
Police and public prosecutors are currently investigating a series of explosions that recently shocked Cologne. Last week there were two explosions in the city center within a few days. One happened in front of a fashion store on Ehrenstrasse;
Another incendiary device exploded in front of a discotheque on the Hohenzollernring. There are also many events in Cologne and the surrounding area over the weekend.
“We as the Cologne police are currently facing serious challenges due to unprecedented incidents of violence and extreme violence that we have not seen in Cologne before,” said the head of the Cologne criminal police, Michael Esser, said last week. More than 60 researchers work on the complex.
The background to the crime is therefore disputed between gangs. “Obviously there’s unfinished business in the area that’s still being resolved,” Esser said. According to public prosecutor Ulrich Bremer last week, one of these extraordinary invoices is related to the loss of an estimated 300 kilos of marijuana. The cheating party in these drugs is trying to get the cannabis back or get compensation. Two evaluation moves at the end of June / beginning of July in Hürth near Cologne and in the Rodenkirchen area of Cologne should also be seen at this point.
#explosion #Cologne #cafe #completely #burned