Neubrandenburg (dpa/mv) - After a basement fire in an apartment building in the north of Neubrandenburg, the police are investigating on suspicion of intentional arson. As a police spokesman said on Tuesday, three people were slightly injured by the fire on Monday evening and had to receive medical treatment for smoke inhalation. 16 residents from the apartments in three staircases had to leave the house temporarily, but were able to return later. Three fire engines extinguished the fire. In such houses, the basement rooms have connecting doors to neighboring staircases, so that the smoke also spreads there.
The public prosecutor appointed an expert to determine the exact cause of the fire. In the past few months there had already been a number of such fires in apartment buildings on certain streets in the neighboring district of Oststadt. In seven basement and bulky waste fires in and on the prefabricated buildings, there was total damage of at least 200,000 euros. At the beginning of July, the police caught a 31-year-old suspect there, who was also taken into custody.
