B 259 - 2026

Report

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Imsbach, Münchweiler, and Winnweiler fire departments were initially dispatched to a garage fire in Alsenbrück-Langmeil. The emergency call already indicated that the fire was threatening to spread. The flames were visible from a considerable distance as the emergency crews approached the scene.

When the first responders arrived, it became apparent that an outbuilding was fully engulfed in flames and that the fire had already spread to parts of the roof of the directly adjacent residential building. Consequently, the alarm level was raised to B3—roof truss fire—whereupon the Lohnsfeld unit, the drone unit, the Börrstadt HLF, and the Enkenbach Fire Department were called in with an HLF, the turntable ladder, and the command vehicle. In addition, the respiratory protection equipment truck (GW-A) from the Nordpfälzer Land administrative district and the measurement technology equipment truck (GW-Mess) from the Göllheim administrative district were called in as reinforcements. Shortly thereafter, the incident classification was changed again to B3—building fire with rescue of persons—as one person was still believed to be inside the building. This led to the dispatch of additional rescue resources. Fortunately, it turned out shortly afterward that both residents had already left the building and that the animals living in the house were also outside the danger zone.

While additional units were being dispatched, the Münchweiler Fire Department set up a so-called containment line to prevent the fire from spreading further to the residential building. At the same time, the Imsbach Fire Department began extinguishing the outbuilding, which was fully engulfed in flames. After the aerial ladder truck arrived, it was positioned directly in front of the building, and the exterior attack began using the swivel nozzle from the ladder truck’s basket. The crew of the HLF 1 supported the firefighting efforts with two additional teams wearing self-contained breathing apparatus. In addition to the turntable ladder’s water cannon, a total of five C-hoses were deployed to fight the fire. To ensure a structured approach to the operation, four operational sections were established: fire suppression, water supply, logistics, and medical support.

The high demand for water at the scene quickly overloaded the hydrant network, which is why the water utility was called in to assist. At the same time, an additional water intake point was set up on a side street to distribute the water intake across different lines. The water utility employee also arranged for the water pressure in the distribution network to be increased.

Although the fire was brought under control after about an hour, the mop-up operations proved to be extensive. The drone unit provided aerial support using a thermal imaging camera to identify hot spots. In addition, wetting agents were used to ensure thorough extinguishment. Since the fire had spread to the roof of the building, it had to be partially opened for the final mop-up operations.

Since a large number of vehicles and personnel from the Winnweiler Fire Department were already deployed, the Sippersfeld Fire Department was called in to provide basic coverage at the Winnweiler station. This ensures that emergency responders can arrive on time in the event of a concurrent incident. In addition, the German Red Cross’s Rapid Response Supply Team (SEG-V) was called in to provide beverages and snacks to the emergency responders.

After the fire was extinguished, the fire department, in consultation with the police, secured the property, as the fire had caused two windows of the residence to shatter and two doors to be damaged. These were sealed off using OSB panels. The Höringen Fire Department was called in to provide fire watch and remained on site until the early morning hours to repeatedly check the fire scene for smoldering embers and prevent the fire from reigniting. The remaining firefighters concluded their operation around 3:00 a.m.

In the end, there were about 100 firefighters and more than 20 fire department vehicles at the scene.