Frying pan started a fire 94-year-old dies in fire, now her roommate must stand trial

A 94-year-old woman died in the fire at a residential building in Strengelbach AG in August 2024. The public prosecutor's office has now announced the cause of the fire and brought charges - against the roommate of the victim.

It only took a few minutes for the attic to be completely engulfed in flames: the fire department spent hours trying to extinguish the fire in a residential building in Strengelbach in August 2024. They finally put out the fire, but it was too late to save a senior citizen.

The 94-year-old resident of the upper floor died in the fire. One of the 94-year-old woman's housemates was able to save himself, while three residents on the lower floor lost their apartment but escaped with a physical scare.

Although it quickly became clear where the fire had started, the investigation into the cause of the fire continued. Now the chief public prosecutor's office in Aargau has announced the cause of the fire, reports the "Aargauer Zeitung". According to the report, a forgotten frying pan on the stove started the fire.

Roommate is suspected of the crime

The roommate of the woman who was killed must now stand trial. The Lenzburg-Aarau public prosecutor's office has brought charges against the man for negligently causing a conflagration and involuntary manslaughter. The accused, a Swiss national born in 2002, had occasionally stayed with the senior citizen.

Details as to why the man is accused and not the senior citizen are not given for investigative reasons. However, it is known that the woman's roommate is suspected of other offenses. According to the "Aargauer Zeitung", these include violations of the narcotics and weapons laws as well as robbery.

The allegations are to be heard collectively in a trial. The public prosecutor's office is demanding an unconditional total sentence of eight years' imprisonment and 180 daily rates of CHF 30 each, as well as a fine of CHF 3,000.