Tageblatt.lu | What’s next?

Tom Olk was just about to go home with his family when his wife made the disturbing discovery: “Smoke was coming from the roof, small flames could already be seen. We immediately dialed 112,” says the committee member of the table tennis club DTC Ënsber-Heischent in an interview with Daily newspaper. The club took part in the “Nuit du sport” on Saturday. The sports equipment had only just been stowed back in the depots when the tragedy began around 9:30 p.m.

Civil courage: table tennis player evacuates building

Olk’s first concern was not about the club’s equipment, but about the people who were still in the sports complex at the time: “I ran in and raised the alarm – my colleagues hadn’t even noticed the fire yet,” said Olk. He then stormed into the apartment on the top floor and convinced the resident and his partner to leave the building immediately.

He may have saved their lives, because a short time later the flames had already eaten through large parts of the roof structure. “I’m devastated,” says Olk, “but the most important thing is that no one was hurt.”

Solar system makes extinguishing work more difficult

The extinguishing work was extremely difficult. As the CGDIS reports, a photovoltaic system covered the sources of the fire. A wooden beam underneath caught fire again on Monday morning around 10 a.m., whereupon the emergency services had to go out to extinguish the fire.

The sports complex was cordoned off over a large area. “There is an acute risk of collapse,” warns Jeannot Sanavia from the municipality of Esch-Sauer. On Monday morning, the Board of Aldermen had already consulted with experts from the police and insurance companies: “We are currently assuming that a technical defect is the cause of the fire, but the investigation is still ongoing.” The damage caused cannot currently be quantified.

Climbing wall is ready for demolition

After the first photos from inside the hall were sent to him, Luc Kieffer from the “Nordwand Lëlz Asbl” is certain: “Our climbing wall can no longer be saved.” This damage alone is worth hundreds of thousands of euros. The club has now ended the season early and wants to plan what to do next over the summer holidays. One bright spot remains: “We receive enormous support from the community and from other clubs who have offered us to train with them.”

Other affected clubs are also experiencing a similar wave of solidarity. Many people do not yet know exactly to what extent their inventory was damaged by the fire or the water used to extinguish the fire.

The “Service national de la jeunesse” (SNJ) responded to a request from Daily newspaper cautiously optimistic: planned activities and training courses should be relocated to other infrastructures. In summer, the focus is primarily on the water sports offered by the nearby “Base nautique”.

There is no doubt that this disaster will affect the community for years to come – another blow that Esch-Sauer suffered just a month after fatal accident at the Hillrace in Eschdorf must process.