Authorities in the German state of Hamburg are investigating the death of an unidentified man who died in a fire which broke out at about 5:30 pm on Monday (February 13) at a residence for asylum seekers and homeless persons.

Around 75 emergency personnel from the fire department were deployed to extinguish the flames at the stacked residential containers of a housing complex in the district of Winterhude in Hamburg. The complex can house around 500 residents.

Firefighters spent around five hours extinguishing the fire. 

Residents had been notified via warning apps to shut windows and doors because of the smoke. 

The cause of the fire was initially unclear, a police spokesperson said on Tuesday.

'Extremely high fire intensity'

Ten container homes suffered from the flames and parts of the accommodation are no longer habitable, according to fire fighters. 

When the first rescuers arrived at the scene, one person was missing in the burning area of the residence, according to the fire department. Several firefighting teams tried to advance to the affected container floor, but were hindered by "extremely high fire intensity." The reason for this, according to a fire department report, was that insulating foam caught fire in the outer walls of the container.

The missing man was later discovered dead in the affected area.

A 38-year-old resident of the shelter who tried to help was also injured in the fire, police said. The man, who inhaled smoke fumes and injured his hand, was treated at a hospital.

Authorities are still continuing their investigations into the cause of the fire.

With dpa, AFP