Fire in Ravensburg Church; Damage Around Two Million Euros
On March 10th police and firefighters responded to a massive fire in the 14th-century St. Jodok Church. Firefighters were able to save valuable pieces of art, but the organ was completely destroyed. Initial damage estimates were at least 2 million euros, as the church had been completely renovated in 2010. In addition to that, a fire was also set in St. Martin's church in Schlier, only a few kilometers from Ravensburg. Police received an anonymous message after the incident reading, “More churches will burn.” The arsonist was arrested on March 21st and convicted in September 2018, receiving a seven-year prison sentence.
According to reports, the fire in St. Jodok Church was difficult to extinguish due to the height of the building. The roof was on fire and smoke could be seen from several miles away. Fortunately, by the time the building was engulfed in flames, there was no one inside the church.
Sources: Südkurier, Südkurier, SWR, Schwäbische, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, SWP, RTL and Focus
Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
![Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ravensburg_St_Jodok_Blick_zum_Chor.jpg){kind=link}