The police in Salzgitter, Germany issued a press release announcing that a 57-year-old woman was killed in a fire in a care home in Wolfenbüttel on 29th September. The fire was reported at 23:30. Three staff tried to extinguish the fire and rescue her. They suffered from smoke inhalation and were sent to hospital for a precautionary check. Unlike Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and Wales (as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA), Germany does not require sprinklers in care homes. As this incident shows, it is difficult for staff to save the people in their care.