Curious trial in Meilen Zurich woman makes a mishap - shortly afterwards her apartment is on fire

A forgotten candle started a fire in a Zurich apartment - now the occupant has been convicted of negligently causing a blaze. She immediately lodged an appeal.

Just as Mani Matter described in his song "Ds Zündhölzli" how a little carelessness led to a war, this is what happened to a woman from the canton of Zurich. At least almost.

On Thursday, Emilia K.* will have to answer to the Meilen district court over a candle. She is accused of negligently causing a fire. A candle is said to have set the apartment on fire. The building insurance company is standing trial as the injured party. The indictment clearly states how the fire could have started.

The apartment burned because of a candle

Emilia K. is single, unemployed and receives social benefits She lives in a one-bedroom apartment in the canton of Zurich. On the evening of August 26, 2024, she allegedly lit a candle in her apartment, according to the indictment. She then allegedly went to bed.

The next morning, K. left her apartment between 8.00 and 8.30 a.m. without making sure that she had extinguished the candle. At 5:58 p.m., the police received an emergency call from a concerned neighbor of K..

The neighbor had seen smoke in the apartment and alerted the emergency services. K. was not at home at the time. The indictment also states that the fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. Due to its intensity, the fire would have been uncontrollable without the emergency services. Property damage of over 37,000 francs was caused.

Contradictions and confusing statements

Emilia K. is now sitting before the judge in Meilen on Thursday. She appears alone because there is not enough money for a lawyer. The public prosecutor and the private plaintiff also waive their right to be present in court.

The judge questions K. first on personal matters, then on the case. It quickly becomes clear that K.'s health was not good then and is still not good now. She had mental health problems and was also taking medication for her physical health. The interview begins calmly. K. is evasive at first and does not answer the judge's questions directly. She had not lit the candle. For some years now, she has repeatedly had couch surfers in her home - i.e. traveling people looking for a place to sleep for free. They had access to the apartment. K. does not answer the question of whether anyone stayed at her place during this period.

But then, after a while, the narrative changes. Emilia K. suddenly can no longer remember exactly whether or not she had lit a candle on the evening of August 26. The judge wants to know whether she likes candles and whether she still lights candles. K. answers: "I like candles. I think they're beautiful. I don't light candles anymore. I have a trauma."

Emilia K. describes the case like this: "I got up on the 27th in the morning." She doesn't remember exactly when. "I didn't feel well and had vision problems, so I called my doctor and left the house." It turned out that K. was suffering from hypertension that day and had very high blood pressure.

She was then transferred to Zurich University Hospital, where she was treated as an inpatient for 10 days. In this scenario, she would not have been able to look around the apartment to see if a candle was burning and then extinguish it. "I don't agree that I should be accused of having committed a negligent act, as I took care of my health first," K. told the judge.

"The sentence is heavy"

The plea and closing statement follow. K. says: "I am trained as a nurse. I have no intention of harming people, on the contrary, I want to help them. I deny any accusation that I committed the crime." In addition, the public prosecutor's office has not presented any evidence, criticizes K.

The fire report states that the cause of the fire was probably a candle that was too close to flammable materials and had been lit without a fireproof base. For Emliia K., the fact that she lives there is no proof that she lit the candle. However, the accused did not name a third person who had access to the apartment during this period.

Emilia K. is hoping for an acquittal. She finds the sentence "heavy" and is in shock. The public prosecutor's office is demanding a fine of 90 daily rates of 90 francs each. She should also pay a fine of 1,500 francs. A total of 9600 francs.

Appeal already announced

After a two-hour sentencing hearing, the judge in Meilen opens the verdict. Emilia K. is found guilty of negligently causing a conflagration and fined 50 daily rates of 30 francs each. The court waived a fine. She is also ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings. The fine is imposed conditionally, with a probationary period of 2 years.

Emilia K. finds this sentence incomprehensible. As soon as the judge closes the verdict, K. asks for the written reasons for the verdict orally and says to the judge: "I want to appeal."

*Name changed