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Former state operetta in Dresden: fire destroys historic site!
The former Dresden State Operetta in Wilsdruffer Vorstadt burned down. Firefighters battled the fire, the cause is unclear.
Former state operetta in Dresden: fire destroys historic site!
On Saturday night, the former Dresden State Operetta building burned down completely. A fire broke out on Friday evening in the empty theater in the Leuben district. The cause of the fire is still unclear stern.de reported. The fire department was on site with strong forces and fought against the flames until around 5:30 a.m. in the morning.
The historic building, which opened in 1947 as the “Apollo Theater”, was the only independent operetta theater in Germany and has been empty since 2016 after moving to the site of the former Mitte power plant. So far there have been considerations of using the area as a cultural center or neighborhood meeting place. But these plans could be severely affected by the destruction.
The extinguishing work
The extinguishing work proved to be challenging. The fire brigade tried to bring the fire under control using several turntable ladders and water cannons. Strong winds further added to the complexity of the situation. Parts of the theater collapsed during the operation, increasing the risk for the emergency services. Residents had to close their windows and doors and turn off their air conditioning or ventilation systems because the smoke was massive. Pirnaer Landstrasse was closed during the night-time extinguishing work.
Causes of fire and fire protection
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear for the time being. Statistics on fires and their causes show that there are no comprehensive and uniform fire statistics in Germany. This can pose a challenge for fire protection, as precise data could help improve how feuertrutz.de reported. There have been repeated fire incidents in recent years that illustrate how important good prevention measures are.
The tragic loss of the monotonous operetta theater shows once again how vulnerable even historical buildings are. It remains to be seen whether the ideas for reusing the site can still be realized after this incident. An important lesson in safety and fire safety will certainly have to be learned from this sad event.