A major fire broke out Friday night at the Kehlsteinhaus, “the Eagle’s Nest", the historic Alpine retreat used by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in southern Germany, prompting a large-scale emergency response and the detention of a suspect, reported the BBC.
Authorities in Bavaria said emergency dispatchers in Traunstein received a fire alarm from the building, widely known as the Eagle's Nest, at approximately 9:15 p.m. local time.
Firefighters arriving at the site discovered that the structure was engulfed in flames. Efforts to bring the blaze under control were complicated by the building's remote mountain location and the difficult surrounding terrain.
Approximately 200 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, with firefighting operations continuing into the early hours of Saturday.
Police reported no injuries. Authorities confirmed that a suspect had been detained during the incident, although investigators have not established whether the individual was responsible for starting the fire.
A criminal investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the blaze and whether the detained suspect was involved.
The Kehlsteinhaus, situated high in the Bavarian Alps above the town of Berchtesgaden, was completed by the Nazi regime in 1938 and became one of Hitler's mountain retreats.
The Nazi dictator occasionally used the site for government business and meetings with senior military officials. In 1941, he met commanders there as preparations were made for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.
Hitler also exploited the surrounding Alpine landscape for propaganda purposes, appearing in films designed to portray him as a peaceful figure who appreciated animals and nature.
Despite the destruction of much of Nazi Germany's infrastructure at the end of World War II, the Eagle's Nest survived the regime's defeat in 1945.
In the decades that followed, the building was transformed into a tourist attraction, drawing visitors to its mountain setting and historical significance. It also houses a mountain inn.
The fire comes amid continuing efforts in Germany and Austria to address the historical legacy of buildings associated with Hitler and the Nazi regime.
In the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, Hitler's birthplace has long attracted attention from neo-Nazi sympathizers.
The Austrian government took control of the property in December 2016 after lawmakers approved legislation specifically authorizing its expropriation.
Following years of extensive renovation, the building officially began operating as a police center earlier this year, part of Austria's efforts to prevent the property from becoming a gathering place for Nazi sympathizers.