A firecracker of class F4 (large fireworks) explodes during a demonstration by a pyrotechnician (symbol photo) Photo: picture alliance/dpa
By Michael Behrendt
Two men were seriously injured on Saturday afternoon in Teupitz (Dahme-Spreewald) when there was an explosion in a family home on Chausseestrasse. The men are said to have handled firecrackers in the basement.
According to police, a fire then broke out in the house. A large number of firefighters extinguished the fire.
As the police announced when asked by the BZ, one of the men (24) had to be flown to a special clinic in Berlin with a rescue helicopter with serious injuries. The other, a 51-year-old, also suffered serious injuries. He was taken to a nearby hospital in an ambulance.
Structural engineers then checked the statics of the house. The house can still be entered after the explosion, but is no longer habitable!
Two pistols were also discovered while extinguishing the fire. Whether these are alarm pistols or other weapons is still being investigated. The crime scene team of the State Criminal Police Office is continuing the investigation. The property around the house in the Egsdorf district was also searched.
► Again and again there are many injuries and fires on New Year’s Eve due to pyrotechnics. At the turn of the year, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) and Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens) once again called for careful handling of fireworks. Stübgen emphatically warned against burning off unapproved or home-made fireworks. This can result in serious bodily harm and even death. According to Brandenburg’s Minister of Health, the burden on hospitals and rescue services is already very high.