Municipal guards discovered a frozen man during a routine check in a Warsaw abandoned building, one of two people found in distress.
Incident Details
On Monday, February 2, in Warsaw’s Bielany district near Młociny, municipal guards conducting routine inspections of vacant buildings found two individuals. One person was already frozen, while the other was successfully warmed and rescued.
The discovery occurred near ulica 30 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich, close to the Młociny metro station. According to a municipal guard spokesperson, officers were checking locations where people experiencing homelessness might seek shelter when they found a severely hypothermic man. Despite resuscitation efforts, a doctor pronounced him dead at the scene. Police and municipal guards secured the area.
Emergency Response
The incident highlights the dangers faced by individuals without stable housing during extreme cold. Authorities emphasize that regular patrols are intensified during winter months to check potential shelters like vacant buildings, garden sheds, stairwells, and areas near train stations.
Winter Patrols
Municipal guards stress that inspections of locations where people experiencing homelessness seek refuge occur year-round, with winter patrols intensified. Despite these efforts, tragedies during temperature drops cannot always be prevented.
Cold Weather Deaths
Authorities have drawn attention to rising hypothermia death statistics. The Polish National Police Headquarters reported that since early November, the number of deaths from hypothermia in Poland increased from 40 to 41. Police warn that low temperatures pose particular risks to people experiencing homelessness, seniors, individuals living alone, and those who are intoxicated.
Winter Aid Programs
Concurrently in Warsaw, aid programs are underway for individuals not in shelters or dormitories. Caritas Poland and the Warsaw Municipal Guard are running the “A Little Warmth for a Homeless Person” winter campaign. Patrols deliver hot soup, blankets, and clothing to places like vacant buildings and garden sheds; this edition runs until February 2026.