Fire leaves smoke and establishes a barrier on the railway grounds, causing an obstruction.
On August 16, 2025, a fire broke out in a patient room on the first floor of the LVR Clinic on Bergische Landstraße in Ludenberg. The fire departments of Wuppertal and Solingen were alerted around 5:30 PM, and the intense smoke from the flames was visible from afar in the Elberfeld city center.
Upon arrival, firefighters found the former signal box building fully engulfed in flames. Three teams equipped with breathing apparatus were launched to fight the fire, and a total of three C-hoses were used. The professional fire brigade from Barmen and Elberfeld attended the scene, along with the fire truck and turntable ladder from the Bayer watch.
The former signal box building, which reportedly housed children before the fire, was completely closed off for safety reasons during the operation. The intense fire was shooting out of the roof of the building when the firefighters arrived. Despite the extensive efforts, no one was found in the building during the search.
The criminal police have started investigating the cause of the fire, and are looking into the reports of children in the former signal box building. However, no further information is available on the safety of the children, if any, who were reportedly in the building before the fire.
The area was reopened around 6:50 PM, causing significant delays and some cancellations in train services. The railway line was closed for safety reasons during the operation, and the Dōnberg fire truck from the volunteer fire department covered the vacant watches due to a parallel operation.
The extent of the property damage is still unknown, and the investigations are ongoing in all directions, according to the presidency. The investigations are also expected to shed light on the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding it. The LVR Clinic and the local authorities have not released any official statements regarding the incident as of yet.
