Berlin – A brand new fire station burned down in the German state of Hesse on Wednesday. To the surprise of many, it did not have a fire alarm. No one was hurt, but according to the AP agency, damage to the building and rescue equipment was estimated at 20 to 24 million euros (504.6 million to 605.6 million crowns).
The new fire station in Stadtallendorf has been operational since January and according to Stern magazine’s website, the authorities have praised it as a “modern and innovative facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology”. But the fire alarm at the station was missing. It turned out that according to the regulations, it is not necessary to install alarms in buildings such as fire stations. Hessen fire chief Norbert Fischer said he “thinks that what happened will make many people think and act”.
One of the emergency vehicles, which contained rechargeable batteries, caught fire. It is possible that an overheated charger caught fire. According to Stern, nine of the ten emergency vehicles were involved in the fire, and firefighters prevented the fire from spreading further into the building.
The flames spread at a tremendous speed, so according to Fischer, it is not certain whether a fire alarm would have been able to prevent the damage.
Germany attractions fire firefighters
Source: www.ceskenoviny.cz
