Herrmann Orders Kehlsteinhaus Rebuilt After Fire

Bavarian police detained a 33-year-old German citizen after a fire destroyed the Kehlsteinhaus, the mountain retreat built for Adolf Hitler. Investigators identified a suspect shortly after flames broke out on Friday night, police in Upper Bavaria South said. Prosecutors said the man has ties to the Berchtesgaden area but does not currently live there.

Emergency services received a fire alert at about 9:15 p.m. local time. When crews arrived at the structure on the Obersalzberg peak, police said the building was "completely engulfed in flames." Fire trucks had trouble reaching the site because of "the local conditions," authorities said. No one was found inside and no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under criminal investigation. Prosecutors said the suspect showed signs of mental illness and would be sent to a psychiatric facility. They also said they would examine whether a political motive played a role, citing the building's history. Police said there were no current indications that anyone else was involved.

The Kehlsteinhaus stands at 6,017 feet. Completed in 1938, it served Hitler occasionally as a temporary seat of government. Allied bombing during World War II left the structure largely in its original state. It later became a tourist destination, restaurant and beer garden. Its website calls it "one of the few undamaged monuments of the Hitler era."

Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, told reporters in Berchtesgaden that the site will be rebuilt. He said the future design will be discussed with local officials, historians and preservationists. "We're not going to leave a ruin there," Herrmann said, according to the AP. He added: "I think we will be able to find a sensible solution."

Herrmann also said "it is important that we continue to do the work of remembrance."