Germany fire station burns down in horror blaze as it didn't have a fire alarm

The huge blaze broke out in a brand new fire station in Stadtallendorf, Germany, and destroyed millions of euros of equipment - and left the building itself in ruins

A brand new fire station in Germany was destroyed in a blaze, causing millions of euros worth of damage and destroying equipment. Shockingly, the building did not have a fire alarm system installed, according to local media reports on Thursday.

The fire broke out early Wednesday morning at the Stadtallendorf fire station in Hesse, devastating the equipment hall and almost a dozen emergency vehicles, German news agency dpa reported. Initial estimates put the damage between 20 million and 24 million euros.

No one was injured, and local officials said that no fire alarm system was installed in the building because experts had considered it unnecessary - a decision that has left many observers stunned now that the station has burned down.

The fire started on an emergency vehicle belonging to the fire department, which contained lithium-ion batteries and an external power connection. The station opened less than a year ago, local media reported.

"I believe that what has happened will make many people think and act" about improving fire protection requirements at fire stations, said Norbert Fischer, the head of the State Fire Brigade Association of the state of Hesse. Given the amount of technology in fire stations and the fact that batteries are being charged, it would make sense to equip them with fire alarm systems, Fischer said.

He noted it was unclear whether such a system could have prevented the worst in Stadtallendorf. "This fire spread at breakneck speed," he said.