Blaze Engulfs Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' in Bavaria: 200 Firefighters Battle Flames, One Suspect Held

A major fire has engulfed Adolf Hitler's former mountain retreat in the German state of Bavaria, known as the Eagle's Nest. German police said on Saturday that a suspect had been detained in connection with the blaze.

About 200 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire at the Kehlsteinhaus residence, the remote and difficult-to-access retreat on the Obersalzberg peak in southern Germany. Police said firefighters saw flames rising high into the air as they approached, only to find the building completely ablaze.

"A suspicious person was taken into temporary custody," police said in a later statement, adding that nobody was injured in the blaze.

Police spokesperson Lisa Maier said firefighters struggled to tackle the fire because of its location at an altitude of 1,834 metres (6,000 feet). The building was only accessible with heavy breathing apparatus, she said.

Authorities were alerted to the fire on Friday evening, police said, when a smoke detector triggered a fire alarm at about 9:50 pm (1950 GMT).

No potential reason for the fire was given, but German media reported that investigators suspected it was the result of arson.

As snow fell on the Alpine peak, the Eagle's Nest was still engulfed in flames in the early hours of Saturday, a weather camera showed. Officers blocked access to the road leading to the retreat, according to an AFP photographer.

The firefighters found no one inside the building. Maier said police were still investigating and would hold a news conference later on Saturday.

German tabloid Bild reported that the authorities had arrested a motorcyclist they came across on their way to the scene, though the police statement did not make clear whether the detained person was that motorcyclist.

Built between 1937 and 1938, the Eagle's Nest forms part of the toxic legacy of Hitler's Third Reich, which was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews as well as Roma, LGBTQ people and Communists in the Holocaust.

It was designed to serve as a monument to Hitler's rule, although the dictator rarely visited the complex. It survived the Second World War undamaged, and since 1952 it has hosted an exhibition recounting the house's Nazi history and a restaurant.

How much damage the fire has done to the historic structure on the remote peak, and what role the detained suspect may have played, are now matters for the investigation. Further information is expected at the police news conference.