A child died after a fire in a refugee shelter in Thuringia. What is known

Some 245 Ukrainian refugees had to be resettled because of the fire and were moved to a neighbouring town under police escort.

This was reported by Deutsche Welle.

What happened

A fire that engulfed a refugee shelter in Apolda, Thuringia, probably killed a child and injured 10 others. The fire started around 5am local time on Sunday, June 4, and according to witnesses, the flames reached several metres high.

The refugee shelter has since been declared uninhabitable. Police are currently conducting a criminal investigation to ascertain the circumstances of what happened.

Residents rescued from the fire have been transported to another refugee centre in Hermsdorf and provided with medical care.

Reaction of authorities

Authorities have reported a missing 9-year-old boy from the Ukraine and a forensic examination is being carried out to confirm whether the child found dead in the building is the missing boy. The results of the autopsy are not expected before Monday.

Thuringia's Minister of the Interior, Georg Maier, has expressed deep regret over the tragedy.

Thuringia's Minister for Migration, Dorin Denstedt , also visited the scene to talk to the victims and the police. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Feather said that the federal security authorities were ready to assist the state authorities.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany wrote: Our consuls have been in contact with Ukrainian citizens who live in the region as well as with German law enforcement authorities since the morning. We are waiting for more information and will report in more detail afterwards.

Versions of what happened

In the comments to his publication, users wrote that the cause of the tragedy might be arson.

It's sad and tragic that the 'accidental' fire happened in a shelter for refugees from Ukraine. Condolences to the parents of the dead child, speedy recovery to all the victims," the Central Union of Ukrainians in Germany commented.

Recall that in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern last October, a shelter for Ukrainian refugees burned down.
Before the fire broke out, the front doors of the hotel where 14 Ukrainian refugees were staying had been painted with swastikas.

Context

It is worth noting that conflict situations occur in camps for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, including with the administration.

Last December, a conflict broke out between a Ukrainian woman and the camp's guards at the refugee camp in Neuer Bergstrasse in Germany, where about 250 people were accommodated.

The girl Polina, who is a law student at a Ukrainian university and is studying remotely, pulled an extension cord into her container because WiFi did not work in the special room, which is meant for studying.

According to internal rules, no electrical cables can be pulled into the containers where refugees live for fire safety reasons.

The reception centre told journalists that they were "very sorry" for what had happened, but Pauline soon received a letter from the administration, but not with an apology, but a warning that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

The Migration Advisory Board stressed that this was not the first complaint from Neuer Bergstraße. According to the organisation, many refugees feel discriminated against there.