Major fire in Oberrieden: Alterswiss warns

• A fire broke out in Oberrieden ZH on Lake Zurich on Saturday.

• The fire caused heavy smoke and an unpleasant smell; windows and doors should remain closed.

• Shortly after 2.30 p.m., Alertswiss gave the all-clear.

A fire broke out in the municipality of Oberrieden ZH on Lake Zurich on Saturday. This led to considerable smoke development and a strong, unpleasant smell, as Alertswiss warned. An attic, a hedge and a speed measuring device were affected.

“It sounds absurd, but the house burned down because of the speed camera,” BS, who lives in the neighborhood, told 20 Minuten. First, the fire spread from the speed camera to a bush. “Then the flames rose up the facade of the house and started a fire in the attic.” The police told residents that they were investigating whether a battery in the speed camera had caught fire or whether someone had deliberately set the device on fire, said S.

“On Saturday afternoon, at around 11:45 a.m., passers-by reported that smoke was rising from a speed measuring device on Dörflistrasse,” Ralph Hirt, media spokesperson for the Zurich cantonal police, told BRK News. The local police arrived quickly and found that smoke was also rising from the attic of the neighboring three-story building in addition to the measuring device.

“Because the fire in the attic spread very quickly, around twelve people had to be evacuated from the house,” said Hirt. The fire brigade arrived quickly and quickly brought the fire under control and was even able to prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent part of the building.

“It is currently unclear whether there is a connection between the fire in the radar device and the house and is the subject of ongoing investigations,” reports Hirt. Three ambulances were dispatched, but no one was injured.

There are still embers that need to be extinguished. “It is difficult to quantify the material damage, but it is likely to amount to several hundred thousand, if not a million francs,” says Hirt.

An eyewitness on site reported: “There is an extremely large amount of smoke.” Police and firefighters were on site in large numbers. An unpleasant smell was spreading.

“A large drone is now being used,” the reader continued. The radar device in the area of ​​the fire was only set up on Friday. This is also confirmed by local residents Ruth and Urs: “The radar box has been set up there because there is a fair taking place in Oberrieden at the moment. Lots of people drive through the 30 km/h zone here.” A few years ago, a neighboring house had already burned down, and back then it was also the attic.

A local resident told 20 minutes how she experienced the fire: “I was very worried and wondered what had happened. Something like that is really bad.” She knows the couple who live in the affected apartment. The woman and her husband, both aged around 85 and 90, were eating lunch when they suddenly heard a loud explosion. “When the woman looked, everything in the room was already on fire. There were flames everywhere, and the windows were already broken.”

Fortunately, the residents were able to be brought to safety in time. The eyewitness saw the man being evacuated with a turntable ladder. The resident was relieved by the emergency services’ quick response: “Fortunately, the fire brigade was on site very quickly and took immediate action, including on the roof.” Although the resident had seen the fire from her balcony and “an extremely large amount of smoke” had risen, she was glad that she did not smell the fire.

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