Three killed and five injured in early-morning residential fire in Bochum

Emergency services were called to a multi-storey apartment building in Bochum's Hofstede area when a fire broke out in the early hours. Thick smoke filled the structure and the stairwell collapsed, preventing firefighters from entering the apartments directly. Rescue crews used a turntable ladder to extract two injured people and portable ladders for two others; a fifth survivor jumped onto a safety mat placed outside.

Three adult residents were discovered dead inside a flat. Authorities cut electricity to the affected block and adjacent buildings, leaving many tenants in darkness and seeking shelter with acquaintances. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials are questioning whether all apartments were equipped with functional fire alarms.