Festival accidents keeps German police, firefighters busy

Police and firefighters in many German cities referred to a busy New Year's Eve, as there were a lot of fires and numerous accidents involving injuries from fireworks in Germany. On New Year's Eve, many people were injured in Germany, as two men lost their lives in Baden-Wuerttemberg. According to early reports, the fire brigade was called out 450 times because of fires with 1667 fire-fighting operations in total in Berlin. In Hamburg, the fire brigade made a total of 1,099 operations, 23 more than last year. The firefighters in Berlin said the big New Year's party at the Brandenburg Gate was largely peaceful, However, two groups of young men fought on the outskirts of the celebration in a knife fight. Three men were injured, police reported. Meanwhile, doctors and nurses in accident hospital in Berlin took care of 13 severe hand injuries by firecrackers, as a spokeswoman for the hospital said. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, a 31-year-old lost his live during the burning of fireworks, said a spokeswoman for the Tuebingen police, while a 28-year-old from Heidelberg dropped from roof and were fatally injured. Police in Munich said New Year's Eve this year was quieter than previous years. Nevertheless, the officials had been called out more than 160 times to put out fires started by fireworks. On New Year's Eve, millions of people in Germany have celebrated the new year with parties and fireworks.