At least five people were injured in a fire at a temporary refugee shelter in the southwestern German town of Rottenburg in the wee hours on Monday. Investigators have not ruled out arson attack as the possible cause of fire.
The fire broke out around 2 am in the multi-storey containers housing asylum seekers.
German television news service Tagesschau reported that two inmates of the camp were treated for inhaling smoke, while three residents were hospitalised after they jumped out of a high-window to escape.
There were 84 refugees in the camp when the fire broke out. According to German daily FAZ, 56 refugee containers were destroyed in the inferno, while the remaining half are now inhabitable.
The local authorities are also investigating the fire incident as an arson attack that could be fuelled by a xenophobic motive. In recent months, Germany has seen a high influx of asylum seekers, which was followed by a wave of attacks on refugees' accommodations.
A smoke bomb was thrown into the courtyard of a house meant for housing 50 asylum seekers in Neckargemünd on 5 September, also in southwestern Germany, according to Deutsche Welle.
A planned refugee accommodation in Weissach im Tal (Rems-Murr-Kreis) and a building meant for housing asylum seekers in Remchingen were destroyed in fires in August and July respectively. The police could never find the culprit/s and the incidents remain suspected cases of arson that are still under investigation.
