Former state operetta in Dresden: Brand destroys historical site!

Former state operetta in Dresden: Brand destroys historical site!

The former building of the Dresden State Operetta on Saturday night was completely burned down. A fire broke out on Friday evening in the empty theater in the Leuben district. The cause of the fire is still unclear how stern.de reports. The fire brigade was on site with strong emergency services and fought against the flames until around 5:30 a.m.

The historical building, which was opened in 1947 as a "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 to use the area as a cultural center or neighborhood meeting point. But these plans could be severely impaired by the destruction.

The extinguishing work

The extinguishing work was challenging. With several aerial ladders and water cannons, the fire brigade tried to control the fire. Strong wind contributed to the complexity of the situation. Parts of the theater collapsed during the mission, which increased the risk of the emergency services. Residents had to close their windows and doors and switch off climate or ventilation systems because the smoke development was massive. The Pirnaer Landstrasse was closed during the nightly extinguishing work.

causes of fire and fire protection

The exact cause of the fire remains in the dark for the time being. Statistics on fires and their causes show that there are no comprehensive and uniform fire statistics in Germany. This can be a challenge for fire protection, since precise data could contribute to improvement, such as Feuertrutz.de . In recent years there have always been fire events that illustrate how important good prevention measures are.

With the tragic loss of the one -off operetta theater, it can be seen again how vulnerable themselves are historical buildings. It remains to be seen whether the ideas for using the site can still be realized after this incident. An important lesson in safety and fire protection will surely have to be drawn from this sad event.