Two people have died in a fire in an apartment block in Wismar . Police said on 13 November 2026 that 14 other people were injured. Three of them were taken to hospital for treatment. The fire broke out on the evening of 12 November in Gdansker Straße . The cause was initially unclear.
Police, fire crews and ambulance services were called out, according to Rostock Police Headquarters at around 10.10pm. When emergency crews arrived, thick smoke was coming from a stairwell. Firefighters began tackling the blaze and getting the residents of the affected stairwell to safety. Residents of two other stairwells were also asked to leave their homes as a precaution.
During the firefighting operation, emergency crews found two people who were unresponsive. According to police, both were 26 years old. They could not be saved. No further confirmed information about the victims’ identities or the circumstances of their deaths was initially available.
The evacuated residents were initially looked after at the Friedenshof Fire Station . They were able to warm up there and receive medical checks. The relevant housing association arranged temporary accommodation for 15 people who needed somewhere to stay. Others stayed with relatives or friends, police said.
The fire scene was secured and police began investigating the cause. It was initially not possible to estimate the material damage. Police asked residents of the evacuated stairwells not to re-enter their homes until they had been officially given the all-clear.
According to the Norddeutscher Rundfunk the fire broke out in the basement of the building. How it started there was still unclear on the morning of 13 November. The information available at that point did not allow any reliable conclusions to be drawn about possible causes or those responsible.
For the residents affected, immediate concerns were not limited to medical care. The evacuation of several stairwells and the search for accommodation also showed that the effects of the fire extended beyond the flats directly affected by the flames. The initial reports did not say when residents would be able to return.
The number of injured people and the need for accommodation reflect the situation after firefighting had ended. In themselves, they say nothing about the severity of all the injuries. Initially, the only information available was that three people needed hospital treatment.
Investigations are expected to establish how the fire started. Until the results are available and the evacuated areas are cleared for re-entry, residents will not know when they can return to their homes.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).