Fire at Kehlsteinhaus rekindled, German arrested on suspicion of arson
The Kehlsteinhaus near Berchtesgaden burnt down completely in the night leading into Saturday. In the following night, embers flared up again; police arrested a 33-year-old German man as the suspected arsonist.
Kehlsteinhaus partially destroyed after major fire
According to Die Welt, the fire at the historic Kehlsteinhaus on the Obersalzberg rekindled in the night leading into Sunday due to smouldering embers. A police officer confirmed that the fire had "flared up again to ceiling height" before the fire brigade arrived and extinguished the flames. Following major fires, a flare-up of smouldering embers is not unusual, it is reported.
The major fire began in the night leading into Saturday around 21:15 when a smoke detector triggered an alarm. Upon the fire brigade's arrival, high flames were already shooting from the building. Emergency personnel quickly established that the building was "completely ablaze"; the flames destroyed the Kehlsteinhaus largely entirely.
Approximately 200 rescue and emergency personnel from the fire brigade, Red Cross, police, and mountain rescue service deployed. Strong wind, snow drifts, and ice considerably hampered the work. Around 02:00 in the morning, the firefighting operation had to be suspended and could only be resumed the following morning. The damage is estimated at several million euros according to initial assessments.
Police arrested a 33-year-old German man suspected of arson. According to the authorities, the person is said to be psychologically conspicuous; he was taken to a psychiatric facility. The Kehlsteinhaus, located at more than 1,800 metres above sea level, was built by the National Socialists in the 1930s and most recently served as a freely accessible mountain restaurant.
Source: WELT