Blaze destroys multimillion-euro German fire
station that had no alarms
================================================

A state-of-the-art fire station in western
Germany that was completed last year at a cost
of tens of millions of euros has burned to the
ground because it had not been equipped with a
fire alarm.

The town of Stadtallendorf had proudly unveiled
the new structure less than a year ago, but
early on Wednesday emergency services were
alerted to a fire that had started in a vehicle
before quickly spreading to the whole building.

About 170 firefighters battled the blaze,
including members of the local volunteer fire
brigade, as 10-metre flames leapt from the
station's roof.

No one was injured although 10 fire engines were
destroyed. But relief at the lack of casualties
quickly gave way to incredulity that the
building had no fire alarm - and then growing
outrage and bafflement over the revelation that
this was not a legal requirement.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene became
emotional at the realisation that their own
station had burned to the ground.

"It is a nightmare for a firefighter. No one
wants to have to extinguish his own fire
station," the district fire inspector, Lars
Schäfer, told German media, adding that the cost
of the damage was estimated at EURO 20m-24m.

When the station was opened, it was hailed by
the local paper, the Oberhessische Presse, as
"modern, innovative and state-of-the-art".

But Schäfer said it was not legally required to
have a fire alarm because it belonged to the
local municipality and was classified as a
building holding equipment, not a fire station.

Norbert Fischer, the president of the Hesse
State Fire Brigade Association, called for an
urgent review of the legislation.

A spokesperson for the municipality said a fire
protection wall had stopped the flames spreading
to a separate wing of the building.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be ascertained
but initial reports suggested a battery charger
may have overheated.

Schäfer said for reasons of safety as well as
for local morale, the building had to be
reconstructed as swiftly as possible. Whether a
future structure would be fitted with a fire
alarm system would be a matter for discussion,
officials said.



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