Major fire in Neumünster: Children set things on fire and cause millions in damage!

Major fire in Neumünster: Children set things on fire and cause millions in damage!

A major fire that broke out on the night of September 1st caused a sensation in Neumünster. The damage, estimated in the millions, was caused by the careless actions of two children who were handling paper, wood and alcohol under the canopy of a former supermarket. This reports stern.de.

The affected building, which was used as a warehouse, was used, among other things, to accommodate cars and even a gym. The fire department struggled to contain the flames, but was able to prevent it from spreading to neighboring houses. Fortunately, there were no injuries in this incident.

Police investigations

After thorough investigations, the Neumünster criminal police were able to clarify the dramatic situation. The resulting findings clearly lead to the two children as the suspected causes of the fire. However, since the two are not of criminal responsibility, no criminal proceedings will be initiated against them bild.de reported.

The legal context is interesting: In Germany, children under the age of 14 are considered “incompetent” and cannot be held accountable for their actions. This often creates a unique situation for parents who could potentially be held liable for failure to supervise that led to the arson. The following applies to them: Parents can potentially be held responsible for arson through “omission” (§ 13 StGB), even if such charges are rare.

The background to child arson

According to a research by veko-online.de Around 6,000 children in Germany are affected by burns and scalds every year. In addition, children often commit arson, often out of curiosity or the urge to exceed parental prohibitions. It turns out that younger children of kindergarten age are often both the cause and victims of fires, while older children take great risks in order to gain social recognition in their peer groups.

Arsons by children are often not intentional, but rather result from an underestimation of the dangers. Parental supervision is of great importance in order to act preventively and avoid dangerous situations. The events in Neumünster are a powerful reminder of the responsibility that parents have for the safety of their children.

The city of Neumünster will certainly be following the aftermath of this incident for a long time, not only because of the enormous damage, but also in the interests of preventing future similar incidents.