BERLIN (AP) — A man has been arrested after allegedly setting two fires in the western German city of Essen that left 30 people injured and driving a van into two shops, authorities said Sunday.
Emergency services were alerted to two fires in residential buildings in quick succession shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, police said. The injured people included eight children who were seriously hurt, and two of them were in a life-threatening condition after inhaling smoke.
Shortly after the fires broke out, a van drove into two shops in the city, causing damage to property but no injuries. The suspect then allegedly threatened people with weapons, but several men managed to push him back with shovels and poles and hold him until police arrived.
Police said the suspect was a 41-year-old Essen resident with Syrian citizenship. They said the man's motive appeared to be that his wife had left him, and he targeted houses and shops where people who supported her lived.
The fire service said that, when it arrived at the scene of the first blaze, smoke was billowing from the entrance of the building and people were calling for help from windows. Neighbors had put up ladders to help people escape, but they weren't long enough to reach the upper floors.
The suspect hasn't commented so far on what happened Saturday, but was previously known to authorities for threats and damage to property, police said. Prosecutors were seeking to have him kept in custody on suspicion of arson and attempted murder.
This photo shows an apartment building after a fire in Essen, Germany Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
This photo shows a stairwell of a residential building after a fire in Essen, Germany Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
This photo shows an apartment building after a fire in Essen, Germany Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia Sunday, officials said, sparking a wildfire and setting an apartment block alight in one of the largest barrages seen over Russian skies since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that it had shot down 125 drones overnight across seven regions. The southwestern region of Volgograd came under particularly heavy fire, with 67 Ukrainian drones reportedly downed by Russian air defenses.
Seventeen drones were also seen over Russia’s Voronezh region, where falling debris damaged an apartment block and a private home, said Gov. Aleksandr Gusev. Images on social media showed flames rising from the windows of the top floor of a high-rise building. No casualties were reported.
A further 18 drones were reported over Russia’s Rostov region, where falling debris sparked a wildfire, said Gov. Vasily Golubev.
He said that the fire did not pose a threat to populated areas, but that emergency services were fighting to extinguish the blaze, which had engulfed 20 hectares (49.4 acres) of forest.
Elsewhere, 14 civilians were injured in an overnight barrage on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia after Ukrainian military leaders warned that Moscow could be preparing for a new military offensive in the country’s south.
The city was targeted by Russian guide bombs in 10 separate attacks that damaged a high-rise building and several residential homes, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov wrote on his official Telegram channel. More people could still be trapped beneath the rubble, he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Zaporizhzhia attack had damaged the city's transport links. “Today, Russia struck Zaporizhzhia with aerial bombs. Ordinary residential buildings were damaged and the entrance of one building was destroyed. The city’s infrastructure and railway were also damaged,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
The Ukrainian military warned Saturday that Russian forces may be preparing for offensive operations in the wider Zaporizhzhia region. Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said that Russia was amassing personnel in this direction.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Police Press Office, a damaged apartment house is seen after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Police Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency workers clear the rubble after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, residents carrying belongings leave their ruined home after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers evacuate a resident of apartment houses after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a damaged apartment house is seen after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
