A blaze burns down a brand-new fire station in Germany that lacked fire alarms

BERLIN (AP) — Local reports say a brand-new fire station that burned down in a blaze that caused millions of euros in damage did not have a fire alarm system. German news agency dpa reported the fire Wednesday at the Stadtallendorf fire station in Hesse destroyed the equipment hall and almost a dozen emergency vehicles. Initial estimates put the damage at between 20 million and 24 million euros. The fire started on a vehicle that contained lithium-ion batteries and an external power connection. No one was injured. Local officials said experts had deemed a fire alarm system unnecessary, and one expert said the fire spread fast and an alarm may not have prevented the worst of the damage.