Firefighters extinguish renewed flames at Kehlsteinhaus

Firefighters returned to the Kehlsteinhaus, a historic mountain inn in the Berchtesgaden Alps, after flames broke out again overnight, BR reported. The building had already been completely destroyed by a major fire the previous night.

About 200 emergency workers had responded to the initial blaze. The fire apparently left embers that later reignited, sending flames from the building again. Police said the fire reached room height. Firefighters put it out, though further small-scale work to extinguish remaining hot spots may be needed.

The initial fire caused damage estimated in the millions by the Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden joint municipal association. The Free State of Bavaria owns the building. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said on Saturday that it would be rebuilt.

Police have arrested a 33-year-old German man suspected of starting the fire. Investigators said suspicions against him had strengthened, giving them strong grounds to suspect him. After a psychiatric expert’s preliminary report diagnosed him with a mental illness, prosecutors requested that he be placed in a psychiatric hospital pending further proceedings. A judge approved the request, and the man was taken to a secure psychiatric facility. Investigators are still examining the circumstances and motive.

Built by the Nazis in the 1930s as part of the complex used by Adolf Hitler at Obersalzberg, the Kehlsteinhaus was most recently open to the public as a mountain restaurant. Historians are expected to be involved in planning its reconstruction because of the building’s difficult historical associations.