Four people were hospitalized for suspected smoke inhalation after a fire broke out on the upper floor of a federal asylum center on Pfingstweidstrasse in Zurich on Monday afternoon.
Emergency Response in Zurich-West
The emergency call reached the operations center of Schutz und Rettung Zürich at 4:40 p.m., triggering a deployment to the Duttweiler-Areal between office blocks and the Zurich University of the Arts.
Flames shot meters high from an upper-floor window as thick black smoke blanketed the surrounding district, according to eyewitnesses cited by 20min. A news-scout named Ladina first alerted the redaktion to the incident, reporting a fire in the federal asylum center, while other witnesses described a large column of smoke rising after the flames spat from the building.
Firefighters brought the flames under control rapidly, though crews remained on site into the evening to clear smoke from the structure. SRF confirmed that four individuals sustained smoke poisoning and required hospital transport.
Facility Operations and Evacuation
Officials evacuated the entire building, bringing residents safely outside during the operation, NZZ reported. Marco Grendelmeier, spokesperson for Schutz & Rettung Zürich, confirmed the deployment to 20min, stating that crews transitioned to extensive cleanup work. Grendelmeier further confirmed the four hospitalizations due to smoke poisoning on inquiry from 20min.ch. The cause of the fire remained unclear according to SRF.
The municipal facility opened in 2019 with a planned capacity of 360 residents, situated near the university and local office towers, according to NZZ.
According to media spokesperson Marco Grendelmeier, when contacted by 20min.ch, Schutz & Rettung Zürich reported that four people were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.