Firefighters were called to a house fire in one half of a duplex on György Street in Debrecen in the early hours of April 30. According to reports, the blaze may have been deliberately set by the resident himself.
The fire started in one of the rooms of the roughly 100-square-meter home due to a gas explosion, which also affected a 36-square-meter garage. The explosion caused the walls of the building to tilt toward the street, and the other half of the duplex filled with smoke. Professional firefighters from the city extinguished the flames using multiple water jets, the disaster management agency reported that day.
According to Bors newspaper, the elderly resident, a retired man, may have intentionally blown up the house. The blast was so powerful that windows in homes further away shook from the impact. Locals alerted firefighters after being awakened by the early-morning explosion. Inside the home, the body of an elderly man was discovered. It is suspected that the man, who lived alone, committed suicide by causing the explosion — possibly by opening the gas valves.
Reporters from Bors spoke with neighbors, who said they couldn’t understand what could have driven the man to such an act — although they admitted they didn’t know him well.
“He didn’t really talk to anyone. We saw him often, maybe even that day, but he was quite withdrawn,” one neighbor said.
Police are investigating the case.
(Debreceni Nap)
