The man survived the explosion in his apartment thanks to the joint action of the Vienna Alarm Department (WEGA) and the professional fire department. Emergency services forced open the apartment, extinguished the burning man's lower body and handed over the injured man to a professional rescue team.
According to police spokesman Mattias Schuster, the large-scale operation began around 10:30 p.m. The 50-year-old woman, who was already known to authorities due to mental health issues, had reported disturbing the peace to a neighbor. He confronted her on the stairs of the apartment building on Auhofstrasse.
Police are looking for witnesses
The situation escalated and the 49-year-old Austrian hit the woman with a wooden object and doused her in gasoline-like liquid, Schuster says. He then tried to light it, but failed. A passerby, probably a jogger, intervened and the 50-year-old managed to escape. According to police, he fled to a nearby building. According to the Professional Rescue Service, she suffered multiple injuries all over her body.
Meanwhile, the police asked the passer-by to contact the Vienna State Criminal Police Office (01/31310-57800). The reason is that as a witness he can provide relevant information. According to police, the man is believed to be around 30 to 40 years old and was wearing a red jacket and dark sweatpants.
Help in case of crisis
Information with support offers for people with suicidal thoughts and their relatives and support organizations in Austria: Suicide Prevention Austria
Psychiatric Emergency Helpline 01/313 30 provides 24-hour counseling and support in case of crisis. The Austria-wide telephone consultation service can be accessed free of charge at 142 at any time.
A man locked himself in the apartment
The 49-year-old locked himself in his apartment after the attack. Emergency services were alerted and arrived. “We asked him several times to voluntarily leave the apartment, but to no avail,” Schuster said. According to Christian Feiler, a spokesman for the Professional Fire Department, not only did the apartment smell strongly of gasoline, but the concentration of vapors was already so high that they could be measured.
The officers were unhurt
Professional fire brigade and WEGA forced open the 49-year-old's apartment. Inside, they found a self-inflicted victim with head and neck injuries and a knife in hand. He apparently spilled residual flammable liquid in the apartment. There was an explosion and the 49-year-old caught fire from his feet.
According to Feiler, the man ran outside and was extinguished there by emergency services. A Taser was used, police said. WEGA and the fire department administered first aid and handed the man over to professional rescue services, who took him to hospital with serious injuries — third-degree burns and a stab wound to the upper body. According to the Professional Rescue Service, there is no threat to life.
Firefighters and WEGA officers entered the apartment wearing breathing apparatus, but found no one else. This was one of the reasons why the firefighters, who had already prepared two fire lines, were able to extinguish the fire quickly. Firefighters rescued one occupant of the home using an extension ladder. Emergency services found two guinea pigs in the apartment, which they brought to safety and handed over to animal rescue.
