An 86-year-old man died Monday at midday in a fire that broke out in a top-floor apartment in Vienna’s Landstraße district. Firefighters discovered the body of the bedridden occupant during suppression efforts. The blaze prompted a major response from the Vienna Fire Department, Vienna Ambulance Services, and the Vienna Police, who cordoned off the entire scene.

Flames poured from the windows and spread to the roof structure. Passersby raised the alarm. Crews attacked the fire with multiple hose lines under breathing apparatus, working from inside the apartment and from outside via turntable ladders and telescopic boom platforms. Sections of the roof collapsed, and at one point the fire department declared an Alarm Level 3 response.

The incident forced extensive road closures on Landstraßer Hauptstraße at Sechskrügelgasse, affecting private vehicles and public transit. Rescue teams treated two other residents on the scene.

Cause Uncertain
The fire was fully extinguished by late afternoon, though control, overhaul, and safety checks continued into the evening, the fire department said. Vienna’s State Criminal Police Unit has opened an investigation, but the cause remains unknown.

Two bus lines were disrupted: Line 4A toward Karlsplatz was rerouted between Löwengasse and Ungargasse, and toward Wittelsbachstraße between Ziehrerplatz and Rasumofskygasse. Line 74A was unable to run in either direction, Vienna Lines reported.