It sounds like something that would happen in a comedy out of Hollywood or part of some kind of corny dad joke. Yes, a firehouse literally burned to the ground because it didn't have any fire alarms. I mean, how does that even happen?
$22 million in damage later, including 10 fire engines; I have a feeling the city is sorry they chose to cut that simple cost.
To Stadtallendorf, Germany, 90 minutes from Frankfurt we go.
According to The Guardian, this state-of-the-art fire station was only ten months old before it burned to the ground. It's believed the fire started from a battery charger in one of the vehicles and spread quickly. Not even the 170 firefighters battling the blaze could save it.
Don't worry; no one was hurt.
I'm sure you're thinking the same things I am. Aren't firefighters there 24/7? Wouldn't they have smelled the smoke, at the very least? And how come there aren't any fire alarms?
According to the Firehouse website, the fire station wasn't legally required to have a fire alarm system. Apparently, the firehouse was categorized as a "building that holds equipment" and not a fire station. Structures in that category are required to have fire alarms.
If it had been categorized as a fire station, it would have legally been required to have fire alarms throughout.
Well, as you can imagine, that legislation is under review. Emotions ran high after almost everyone learned about that law and how the firehouse was categorized.