How did the arson attack in Germany happen? Survivors of the fire speak out

In the German city of Solingen, Turks who escaped by jumping from the windows of a 4-story building that was set on fire—an incident that claimed the lives of 4 people and left 9 others injured, 2 of them seriously—have described the fear and panic they experienced that night.

The residents of the building, who escaped death by a stroke of luck by jumping from the windows of the burning structure, spoke to an Anadolu Agency reporter about what happened and demanded that the arson be fully investigated and clarified.

Ali Mirka, who lived on the first floor of the building, said that as flames engulfed the structure, he and his cousin jumped from a window. He noted that he suffered a minor injury to his jaw, but his cousin is currently under treatment for a broken tailbone.

Describing what he went through that night, Mirka said, "A smell of smoke came inside. At that moment, the fire alarm started to go off. As soon as we opened the door, the fire was already upon us along with the smoke; in that panic, we threw ourselves out the back. We managed to get down to the street and tried to alert people. At that moment, it was a struggle for life. The screams of the people still haunt us."

Explaining that he had been chatting with a friend—who jumped from the 3rd floor onto a car and is now in intensive care—just 1-2 hours before the fire, Mirka said, "We were talking about nice things, and then this tragic event happened. We just want the perpetrators to be found."

Another resident, Lokman Akman, noted the following regarding his experience that night:

"The smoke detector warned us a bit late that night, but there was a smell. When we opened the door, the smoke came rushing at us. We planned to jump from the front, but because it looked too high, we went to the back. Before we could change our decision, the smoke filled the inside, the flames were coming, and we jumped. My jaw was cut, and my cousin's tailbone was broken. Our friend's foot was also injured; he is about to go into surgery. The friend who jumped onto the car is in intensive care. They and their baby are alive right now; I wish them health, and I offer my condolences for those who lost their lives."

Akman added, "My request from the authorities is that this arson case must be solved. Four people, including two children, died in this incident. There is nothing we can do but grieve."

Saffet Öztürk also stated, "At first, I tried to jump from the front window. The fire had just started, and the fire department wasn't there yet. I ran to the bathroom in the back and saved myself by jumping from there onto the balcony of the adjacent building. I was asleep; I woke up because of the smoke and the very faint sound of the alarm."

THEY WANT THE PERPETRATORS FOUND

Ruhan Canol, President of the Solingen Wald Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) Eyüp Sultan Mosque Association, stated that they are deeply saddened by the fact that an arson attack has occurred in their city for the second time.

Canol noted the following:

"We experienced the same thing in Solingen in 1993. It is very sad that the name of the city of Solingen is being mentioned in the same way again 31 years later. Four people lost their lives in the fire that developed here in a short time. It is very sad; these are our citizens, our own people, and if nothing else, they are human beings—two children, two adults. Of course, as a non-governmental organization, we want these types of incidents to be clarified in a short time and for such events not to happen again. We live in Solingen, and this is the second time such an incident has occurred here. As both the mosque community and the Turkish community, we are very saddened and live in fear in the face of such events."

News Source: AA