Wismar (dpa/mv) - The fire that caused damage in the millions in an apartment building in Wismar at the weekend goes back to an illegal cannabis plantation. This was the result of the expert's investigations, as a spokeswoman for the Schwerin public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. The tenant of the ground floor apartment, where the fire first broke out on Saturday, is now being investigated on suspicion of negligent arson and violation of the Narcotics Act.
The fire only broke out on Saturday evening in the bathroom of the suspect's apartment on the ground floor and was extinguished there by the fire brigade. A few hours later, another fire broke out - this time on the second floor. The three-storey old town house is uninhabitable after the fire, the damage was estimated at around one million euros.
According to the fire investigator, a hot lamp had ignited the cannabis plants in the suspect's bathroom because the distance was too close. Sparks are said to have gotten into the ventilation system. These caused a smoldering fire on cables, so that the fire reappeared hours later on Sunday morning on the second floor.
The firefighters had to come back. The residents of the entire house with about six apartments were brought to safety. The tenants couldn't go back. Nobody got hurt.
