Cause of fire unclear
A contemporary witness, a piece of the Belle Epoque, was destroyed by fire in the city of Zurich at the weekend. The cause of the fire in the striking building from the century before last on Bahnhofplatz is still unclear.
Meter-high flames rose into the night sky of the city of Zurich in the early morning hours of the weekend from Friday to Saturday. The fire was visible from afar and numerous gawkers and revelers stood in the way of the emergency services. In the large fire of the listed building ensemble, the renovation would soon be completed, there were also two gas explosions; a metal part flew 200 meters.
Reconstruction?
An inspection on Saturday afternoon presented a sad picture: the fire had eaten through all the floors and the remaining facades were threatening to collapse. Not much remained of the attic. A large area was cordoned off around Zurich's main station and the fire department still had to extinguish sources of fire. The structural engineers were busy assessing the condition of the building, and the police had their work cut out for them in turning away jostling onlookers and passers-by.
PSP Swiss Property, the owner of the building, wants to inform in due course about further findings and the further procedure of the renovation project. For them, reconstruction is an option in any case.
During the large fire, one police officer suffered hearing trauma, but fortunately no other persons were harmed. (rs)
A video of the SRF Tagesschau can be seen here: www.srf.ch/news/regional/zuerich-schaffhausen/nach-grossbrand-in-zuerich-verkehr-am-bahnhof-rollt-wieder-ungehindert
