A fire destroys the 'Eagle's Nest', Hitler's mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps

A man has been arrested in southern Germany after the possibly deliberate burning of the Kehlsteinhaus chalet, popularly known as Adolf Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' and which was used by Nazi leaders to receive foreign guests.

According to the Bavarian police, a fire broke out on Friday night, causing the building, located on a peak in the Bavarian Alps, to be engulfed in flames that have not yet been completely extinguished, although according to preliminary information, no one was injured.

"A suspicious person has been provisionally detained. The Traunstein Criminal Police has taken over the investigation into the cause of the fire," the Upper Bavarian South Police said in a brief statement.

The first alert came on Friday night around 9:15 p.m. local time, but the difficult access to the chalet made the shutdown work difficult, which for this reason still continues, with the participation of about 200 operations so far.

In the videos broadcast in the media you can see how the flames completely engulf the building.

"It is largely damaged. It does not seem that the house will be able to be saved," a police spokesperson told the Bild tabloid regarding the future of the place, without venturing what the reason for the possible deliberate fire could be.

The chalet, completed in 1938 and located at 1,834 meters above sea level, served as a place for Hitler to receive diplomats and other foreign guests, although the rumor that it was a birthday gift received by the dictator on the occasion of his 50th birthday is not confirmed.