Overview
- The fire broke out early on Tuesday and emergency services were alerted at about 4:15 a.m., with firefighters finding three Indian nationals dead in a second‑floor flat.
- Police provisionally arrested a 41‑year‑old Romanian resident on suspicion of murder and the Bochum homicide squad is leading inquiries into the deaths.
- Fire investigators say a technical defect has been ruled out and they now suspect arson, though they continue to examine whether the blaze was set deliberately or started by accident.
- Flames spread up the building stairwell and blocked normal escape routes, forcing firefighters to rescue residents with a turntable ladder, portable ladders and a safety cushion while five people were taken to Bochum hospitals for smoke inhalation.
- The Embassy of India in Berlin confirmed the victims were students studying in Germany and is assisting families, and local police say earlier calls to the building appear to be unrelated to the incident.