German police said on Saturday they have detained a suspect after a fire at Adolf Hitler’s mountain retreat, known as the Eagle’s Nest, in the state of Bavaria.
About 200 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze at the Nazi dictator’s remote and hard-to-access Kehlsteinhaus residence, on the peak of Obersalzberg in southern Germany.
Firefighters saw flames rising high into the air as they approached the scene, only to find the building “completely ablaze”, police said.
“A suspicious person was taken into temporary custody,” they said in a later statement, adding that nobody was injured in the blaze.
Police spokeswoman Lisa Maier said firefighters struggled to tackle the fire because of its location at an altitude of 1834m. The building was only accessible with “heavy breathing apparatus”, she said.
Authorities were alerted to the fire after a smoke detector triggered an alarm about 9.50pm Friday local time, police said.
No potential cause was given, but German media reported that investigators suspected arson.
As snow fell on the alpine peak, the Eagle’s Nest was still engulfed in flames on Saturday, a weather camera showed.
Monument to Hitler
Officers blocked access to the road leading to the retreat, an AFP photographer saw. Firefighters found no one inside the building.
Maier said the investigation was ongoing. Police have planned a news conference later on Saturday.
German tabloid Bild reported that authorities arrested a motorcyclist they came across on their way to the scene.
Built between 1937 and 1938, the Eagle’s Nest forms part of the toxic legacy of Hitler’s Third Reich, which was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews, along with Roma, LGBTQ people and Communists, in the Holocaust.
It was designed to serve as a monument to Hitler’s rule, though the dictator himself rarely visited the complex. Built of stone and granite, the residence offers an exceptional view of the picturesque Bavarian alpine landscape and was designed to impress foreign diplomats.
It survived World War II undamaged. Since 1952, it has hosted an exhibition recounting the house’s Nazi history and a restaurant.
- AFP