Radebeul. “It’s a nightmare,” says Annegret Fischer, pastor of the Friedenskirche in Radebeul-West. The blue powder is everywhere. It comes from fire extinguishers that previously unknown perpetrators have emptied in the parish office on the village green Altkötzschenbroda. They sprayed the stuff in the office as well as in the parish kitchen and in the staff apartment in the parish hall.
“The damage is enormous,” reports Fischer. Because the fine fire extinguishing powder not only covers tables, chairs and cupboards, it creeps into every carpet fiber, sticks between every sheet of paper in the files. Thanks to its electrical conductivity, the powder also ensures that all technical devices – from telephones and computers to printers and copiers – are now scrap. “They can all no longer be used and must be replaced,” says Fischer. She is now waiting for the insurance company to cover the damage. Only then can the pastor estimate the exact amount.
The destruction happened last Saturday between 4pm and 7pm. The vandals probably gained access with a key that came from a break-in into an employee’s apartment. According to previous knowledge, the perpetrators only stole keys in the rectory that they used to gain access to the rooms where they were handling the fire extinguishers.
The rectory is expected to be closed until January 20th. After that, an emergency office will be set up in one of the undestroyed community rooms. Because the current office space can no longer be used. In the spring, pastors and employees will move into new jobs that are currently being created in the front part of the building, which is directly adjacent to the Anger.
Read more local news from Radebeul here.
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