Fire flares up again at Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat in Bavarian Alps

Fire erupted again overnight at the Eagle's Nest mountain retreat in southern Germany that was once used by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Bavarian police reported on Sunday.

"It was burning up to room height again," a police officer said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the historic site, known as Kehlsteinhaus in German, atop the Obersalzberg peak and extinguished the flames. It is not unusual for a fire to flare up again because of smouldering embers after the main blaze has been extinguished, the officer added.

A major fire broke out at Eagle's Nest on Friday evening. Police arrested a suspect on suspicion of arson.

An initial psychiatric assessment of the 33-year-old German man concluded that he was mentally ill, according to prosecutors.

The building was largely destroyed by the blaze, with the damage estimated to amount to millions of euros.

Eagle's Nest, situated at an altitude of more than 1,800 metres, was built under the Nazi regime in the 1930s as part of the complex used by Hitler on the Obersalzberg.

It has been used as a restaurant since 1952. However, the establishment was closed on Friday and no one was injured in the blaze.

Hitler visited Eagle's Nest several times to receive diplomats and other foreign guests, according to the local tourism association in Berchtesgaden.

However, politically, the retreat "remained of little significance" and was mainly used by senior Nazi officials for leisure purposes and private celebrations, according to the association.

Today, it houses an exhibition highlighting its Nazi history.