WDR reports that one patient was killed and 12 people were injured in a fire in a Cologne hospital. One of the injured was a nurse who jumped out of the window to escape the flames. The fire brigade was called at 11:55 on 29th July to the Hospital in Cologne-Merheim. The fire was reported to have started on the first floor in a patient room on the isolation ward. It then spread rapidly with the suggestion that this was due to many patients being connected to an oxygen supply.

The German Foundation for Patient Protection said that fire protection in hospitals is inadequate. It added that fire alarms are not enough and that sprinklers should at last be required in all areas and all patient rooms. This is a standard measure for furniture show rooms and warehouses.