The blaze destroyed winter shelters set up by a local parish, leaving homeless residents injured and without their few belongings. (U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden)
A 50-year-old man was arrested early Thursday on six counts of attempted murder for allegedly setting fire to a homeless shelter on the grounds of St. Martin Catholic parish in Kaiserslautern, Westpfalz police said in a statement Friday.
A witness noticed the flames shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday and alerted five people sleeping inside the makeshift shelter, the statement said. A total of six people were inside the structure, SWR Kaiserslautern reported Thursday.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and paramedics treated two people who were injured in the fire, police said.
The suspect was arrested on the spot, and police believe he set the fire deliberately. Authorities are also investigating whether the man was responsible for two garbage container fires that were reported in the city center shortly before the fire outside the church.
Several of the aluminum shelters, which are designed to retain heat, were destroyed in the blaze, SWR Kaiserslautern reported. The parish had set them up last year to provide homeless people with a warm place to sleep during the winter.
A pastor with the parish told SWR that sleeping bags, sleeping mats and winter clothing for the homeless were also destroyed in the fire, and some sheltering overnight lost their few possessions, such as photos of loved ones.
The church is collecting donations for those affected by the fire, pastor Andreas Keller told SWR.
February 6, 2026 10:03
