Fire disaster in Hohenmölsen: mentally ill resident causes chaos

Fire disaster in Hohenmölsen: mentally ill resident causes chaos

On Monday morning, an alarming incident was reported from Friedensstrasse in Hohenmölsen: a fire in an apartment building caused a stir. The fire brigade was quickly on site and was able to prevent anything worse from happening, but the amount of damage is considerable. The source of the fire was identified as the apartment of a man who was in an exceptional psychological situation at the time of the incident. Luckily there were no injuries; two other residents were able to leave the building independently and uninjured. Loud [sachsen-anhalt.de](https://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/bs/pressemitigungen/polizei?tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Baction%5D=singl e&tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=Base&tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Bud%5D=579454&cHash=a87cb7974fbd3c89144a5c25b002d7be) The property damage is estimated at at least 50,000 euros, which makes the man's apartment uninhabitable.

The incident raises questions, particularly regarding the psychological state of the perpetrator. In a similar context, on September 29, 2023, the Federal Court of Justice dealt with incapacity for bipolar disorder. The defendant in another case was found to have acted likely due to her illness. This could also play a role in the current case, especially since a psychological report will probably provide information about the man's guilt. strafrechtsblogger.de reports that a mental illness such as bipolar affective disorder can often lead to incapacity if the perpetrator is unable to see the injustice of his crime due to his disorder.

Investigations underway

Forensic science has already secured evidence at the crime scene and investigations into suspected arson are ongoing. Arson is considered a crime according to Section 306 of the Criminal Code and is considered serious damage to property with elements of danger to the public. A significant aspect of this is that the perpetrator must fulfill both objective and subjective criteria in order to be held responsible. The Federal Court of Justice refers to the legal requirements that must be taken into account when examining guilt, as juracademy.de explains.

The legal situation regarding arson is clear and provides for prison sentences of between one and ten years, depending on the seriousness of the crime. The courts must therefore carefully consider whether the perpetrator was capable of understanding the consequences of his actions at the time of the crime, which in this case may not have been the norm given the presence of mental illness.

More incidents in the region

At the same time, a traffic accident occurred in Naumburg in which a 63-year-old collided with the car of a 40-year-old while driving onto the main road. She was trapped in her vehicle and had to be rescued by the fire department before she was taken to hospital. Both vehicles were no longer drivable and had to be towed away, according to our colleagues [sachsen-anhalt.de](https://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/bs/pressemitigungen/polizei?tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Baction%5D=single &tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=Base&tx_tsarssinclude_pi1%5Bud%5D=579454&cHash=a87cb7974fbd3c89144a5c25b002d7be).

Another incident occurred in Zeitz, where a 32-year-old driver was noticed because of his erratic driving style. During the check it turned out that the man was drunk, which led to a positive rapid test and the revocation of his driver's license.

The region remains turbulent and the past few days show how quickly everyday situations can escalate. The investigations and legal follow-up will be exciting to follow.