UELZEN (dpa-AFX) - A fire in a clinic in the town of Uelzen in Lower Saxony has claimed the lives of at least four people. The victims were patients, Helios Kliniken Schwerin GmbH announced on Friday. According to the police, three of the victims died in the Fresenius subsidiary's clinic, one person was taken to another hospital and died there. Age and gender were not initially given. The police also spoke of a double-digit number of injured people; according to the hospital, six people were seriously injured and 16 others were slightly or moderately injured. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the clinic late on Thursday evening and spread to several patient rooms. Ward 3.4 for internal medicine, cardiology, pulmonology and angiology was affected. The Uelzen Clinic is a basic care facility with 303 beds, said a spokesperson for the Lower Saxony Ministry of Health.

Smoke poisoning and burns

When the emergency services arrived, flames and heavy smoke were visible and cries for help could be heard, according to the police. The fire department and police rescued several patients from their rooms, some of them using ladders. Around 140 rescue workers were deployed, according to a fire department spokesman during the night. The injured suffered smoke inhalation and burns. The fire was extinguished.

"We are deeply shocked, our sympathies and thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased and the injured patients," said a spokesperson for the hospital. Several of the hospital's wards cannot be used for the time being. Around 50 patients were therefore to be transferred to nearby hospitals. In addition, no patients can be admitted up to and including January 12, and no one can currently be treated in the emergency room.

The fire in the hospital was a "tragic and shocking event", said a ministry spokesperson. The rapid intervention of the rescuers had "prevented even worse". The highest priority was to ensure the care of the patients. Uelzen's mayor Jürgen Markwardt expressed his "deep shock". The non-party politician emphasized that the hospital staff and the rescuers had done an "outstanding job in helping people in the most difficult and life-threatening situations".

Patient advocates call for better protection

After the fire in Uelzen, patient advocates called for sprinkler systems in hospitals. Independent extinguishing systems should be required by law in every patient and staff room, said Eugen Brysch, Chairman of the German Patient Protection Foundation. "Even furniture stores and warehouses in this country have a better fire protection standard than hospitals."

Fires in hospitals have increased significantly and the fire protection regulations in the approximately 1900 hospitals in Germany have reached their limits, he emphasized: "After all, most patients cannot save themselves. Even sleeping people can't smell the smoke from a fire." According to the Lower Saxony Hospital Association, the hospitals are complying with the fire safety requirements set out in the building regulations.

According to initial estimates by the police, the total damage caused by the fire in the clinic could be in excess of one million euros. A fire expert was to be commissioned, a police spokesman said. Investigations are being carried out in all directions./hho/tst/DP/stw