[Fire at the Viennese hotel "Am Augarten"--a contribution to the toxicology of combustion gas poisoning].

The fire at the Vienna hotel "Am Augarten" (28.9 1979) caused 25 deaths. 24 victims died as a result of inhalation of fire gases; 10 of them also suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns. In one case, death was due to internal injuries (sustained when jumping from a window). The fact that none of the bodies was charred facilitated identification. In all cases autopsy revealed the typical symptoms of inhalation of fire gases (soot deposition in the respiratory tract, presence of carboxyhaemoglobin in the blood). In public discussion the question was raised whether the inhalation of hydrogen cyanide (liberated from nitrogen-containing natural or synthetic polymers by pyrolysis) was a contributory factor to the fatal outcome. The cyanide concentrations in blood samples measured by gas chromatography were below the toxic range in all cases. Chemical investigation comprised the determination of the carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations and the demonstration of volatile hydrocarbons in the air of the lungs.