Blaze destroys multimillion-euro German fire station fitted without alarms

Stadtallendorf structure was not legally required to have alarms because it was classified as a building holding equipment, not a fire station

A state-of-the-art fire station in western Germany that was completed last year at a cost of tens of millions of euros has burned to the ground because it had not been fitted with a fire alarm.

The town of Stadtallendorf had proudly unveiled the new structure less than a year ago, but early on Wednesday emergency services were alerted to a fire that had started in a vehicle before quickly spreading to the whole building.