Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest retreat, Kehlsteinhaus, catches fire

A fire broke out Friday evening at the Kehlsteinhaus in Bavaria, better known as the Eagle’s Nest and used as a refuge by Adolf Hitler and Nazi officials.

The Kehlsteinhaus was devastated by the flames, a police statement said: adding that a suspect was arrested and the incident was under criminal investigation.

What do we know so far about the Kehlsteinhaus fire?

A fire alarm went off on Friday around 9:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. GMT) at the Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg in Berchtesgaden, police said in a statement.

“The firefighters, who were immediately alerted, already saw clearly visible flames as they approached the Kehlsteinhaus,” the police statement said.

Some 200 firefighters and rescuers were deployed on site. Firefighters had difficulty reaching the Kehlsteinhaus, located around 1,834 meters (6,017 feet) above sea level, with their engines.

Police added that one could only enter the building and its immediate surroundings while wearing respiratory protective equipment (RPE).

Police said they were not aware of any injuries at this time.

    The Kehlsteinhaus on the Kehlstein
The site once housed the heavily fortified country residence of the Nazi leader (FILE: June 21, 2004)Image: Peter Kneffel/dpa/photo alliance

The site was once home to Hitler’s heavily fortified country residence, where he is believed to have partially written his book “Mein Kampf.” It was built in 1938 as a guest house for Nazi officials.

It remains a symbol of the Nazi regime and is one of the few Hitler-era monuments that survived the bombings of World War II unscathed. Today, it is classified as a historic monument and houses a popular restaurant.

#DailyDrone: The Eagle’s Nest

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Edited by: Rana Taha

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