Fire destroys most of Eagle's Nest in Germany — Jerusalem Post

In Germany, a fire destroyed most of the historic Kehlsteinhaus building, known as the Eagle's Nest, near Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. The blaze broke out at about 9:15 p.m. local time on October 23. Berchtesgaden police are considering the possibility of deliberate arson, the Jerusalem Post reports.

A suspect was detained

Shortly after the fire began, emergency responders noticed a suspicious person near the scene. Law enforcement officers later detained a 33-year-old man suspected of deliberate arson. At the request of prosecutors, he was brought before an investigating judge and subsequently placed temporarily in a closed psychiatric hospital.

The prosecutor's office and criminal police continue to establish the circumstances of the incident and the suspect's motive. According to preliminary information, no one was injured. At the same time, investigators have not yet been able to safely enter the burned-out building.

A difficult operation in the mountains

About 200 emergency service personnel worked at the scene throughout the night: firefighters from six municipalities, representatives of the district fire inspectorate, the Bavarian Red Cross, mountain rescuers and police. Extinguishing the fire was complicated by the site's location in an exposed mountain area and difficulties accessing it.

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The area around the site remains closed off, and a drone flight ban has also been imposed there. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the building would likely be rebuilt, as the ruins are unlikely to be left there.

Historical landmark

Kehlsteinhaus was built in 1937–1938 on the orders of senior Nazi Germany official Martin Bormann as a reception house for Nazi leaders and their guests. The building is located at an altitude of about 1,834 meters. It survived World War II and has operated as a mountain restaurant since 1952, later becoming a tourist landmark with a historical exhibition.

The usual access route to the Eagle's Nest was destroyed in the fire. It involved a special bus ride along a mountain route through five tunnels, a passage through a 124-meter tunnel and an elevator ride to the building.