Solingen house fire was arson, prosecutors say

German prosecutors said on Wednesday that they had launched a homicide and attempted homicide investigation, after finding "unambiguous" evidence of arson following a fatal house fire in the German city of Solingen.

The public prosecutor in nearby Wuppertal, Heribert Kaune-Gebhart, said investigators had found no indications of an anti-immigrant motive during preliminary investigations. 

A young Bulgarian couple and their two children were killed in the fire in an old city-center building early Monday, and nine more people sustained injuries of varying severity and were hospitalized. Some of them were still in the hospital on Wednesday, prosecutors said.

Given the painful legacy of a 1993 far-right arson attack in the city that killed five Turkish people, investigations into the blaze had drawn considerable local attention. 

What we know about the fire so far

Wuppertal's public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that "clear remains of a fire accelerant" had been found in the building's wooden stairwell. 

Investigators said they therefore had to assume a case of "calculated arson" (it's also possible to face less serious arson charges in Germany for accidentally or unintentionally causing a fire) and that they had launched homicide and attempted homicide investigations accordingly. 

The four-story house in Solingen's old town, as with many similar buildings in Germany, is divided into several different apartments.

The fire began at the ground level but rose to the roof in a matter of around 5 minutes. By the time emergency services arrived, it was no longer possible to leave the building.

Several people were forced to jump from the upper levels of the building in panic. One of them missed the rescue services' crash mat and landed on the roof of a parked car. 

Emergency services mobilized more than 100 firefighters in the operation.

Severe damage to the building, which is currently uninhabitable, was visible the following day after firefighters had doused the overnight blaze. 

Solingen's past prompted closer attention

"The death of an entire family is a day of sadness for our entire city," Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach said after the blaze, ordering flags to fly at half mast in mourning. 

The case had further resonance for the city given the 1993 arson attack in Solingen that killed five Turkish people, two women and three girls. It was the most fatal of a series of anti-immigrant protests and crimes around that time. 

The city commemorated the 30th anniversary of that fire last year, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in attendance. 

Prosecutors are yet to comment on potential motives in this case in the nascent investigation and said they had not yet identified a suspect.

msh/wmr (AFP, dpa)