A man was taken into custody after reportedly starting two fires in the city of Essen in western Germany, causing injuries to 30 individuals and driving a van into two shops, local authorities disclosed on Sunday. The tumultuous events unraveled shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday when emergency services were summoned to two residential building fires in rapid succession, as per police reports. Among the wounded were eight children who sustained severe injuries, with two of them facing life-threatening circumstances due to smoke inhalation.

In the aftermath of the fires, a van was driven into two shops within the city, resulting in property damage but no reported injuries. Allegedly, the suspect then brandished weapons and menaced bystanders, yet a group of individuals reportedly thwarted him using shovels and poles, detaining him until law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene.

Authorities identified the suspect as a 41-year-old resident of Essen holding Syrian citizenship. An inquiry into a potential motive for the unsettling series of incidents is ongoing, according to police statements. Upon the fire department’s arrival at the site of the initial blaze, witnesses described smoke emanating from the building’s entrance and individuals pleading for assistance from windows. Despite neighbors deploying ladders to aid in evacuation efforts, the ladders were insufficient in reaching occupants on the upper floors of the building.