A major fire destroyed much of the Kehlsteinhaus, the mountaintop building known as Hitler's Eagle's Nest, in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden on Friday night.

Emergency services responded after a smoke alarm triggered around 9:15 p.m. local time. Firefighters found the structure at 1,834 meters elevation fully engulfed in flames. Approximately 200 emergency personnel battled the blaze through the night amid snow, wind, and difficult access conditions that required breathing equipment.

No one was inside the building, which operates as a restaurant and tourist site, and no injuries were reported. The fire caused millions of euros in damage and left the structure largely in ruins.

Police detained a 33-year-old German man on a motorcycle near the scene shortly after the fire started. Authorities identified him as the prime suspect in what they described as arson. The man, who has ties to the Berchtesgaden area but lives elsewhere, showed signs of mental illness according to a psychiatric assessment. Prosecutors are investigating possible political motives given the site's Nazi-era history while noting diminished criminal responsibility due to his condition. He was scheduled for transfer to a secure psychiatric facility.

The Kehlsteinhaus was completed in 1938 as a guest house for Nazi officials and used occasionally by Adolf Hitler for meetings. It survived World War II and has served as a public restaurant and historical site since 1952, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann indicated that reconstruction of the damaged building would be pursued rather than leaving it as ruins. Investigations into the exact cause and any broader connections continue.