Four weeks after the devastating fire in a refugee accommodation in Groß Strömkendorf near Wismar, which was occupied by Ukrainians, a volunteer firefighter from the region was arrested as a suspect. This was announced on Wednesday by the public prosecutor’s office in Schwerin. The investigators rule out a political background to the arson. The fireman denies these and other acts. Nevertheless, an arrest warrant was issued. According to investigators, the 32-year-old suspect is said to be responsible for other fires in the area.

The thatched former hotel in Groß Strömkensdorf was largely burned down in the night of October 19th to 20th. The 14 residents of the accommodation and their three carers were able to escape from the building unharmed. The suspect is said to have helped with the extinguishing. The investigators had initially not ruled out a political background because a few days earlier a swastika graffiti had been found on the entrance sign of the accommodation. According to the latest investigation results, the swastika is probably not related to the fire.

In the weeks before, there had been a series of fires in the region, which killed straw rents, forest areas and, on October 10, an empty, thatched house in Blowatz. Groß Strömkendorf belongs to the municipality of Blowatz.