Overview
- Authorities confirmed two fire-related deaths: a 67-year-old man found during a Reinheim apartment blaze on December 25 and a 54-year-old who succumbed to injuries from a December 22 Hof fire, reported on December 26.
- In Berlin-Hellersdorf early on December 26, an officer shot a man in the leg after an alleged attack with a sharp object; two officers were injured, several people were detained and a homicide commission is reviewing the use of force.
- Essen’s fire service pumped an estimated 1.2 million liters from a flooded construction-site garage on December 25, ending the operation by evening as the utility investigates the water main failure.
- A blast at a Krefeld apartment building on December 26 destroyed the front door without injuries, and police say there is no indication of a political or organized-crime motive as the cause remains unclear.
- Fire services reported additional holiday incidents without fatalities, including a Sellerich house left uninhabitable, a Kleve restaurant fire likely tied to a cooling container, a suspected refrigerator defect in a Reichersbeuern flat and a Leipzig garden shed blaze under investigation.