Berlin firefighters tackle blaze close to refugee home

The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon on the site of the former Karl Bonhoeffer mental hospital in the northeastern Berlin district of Wittenau. No one was injured in the blaze.

The fire was brought under control by Berlin fire services by early evening. A spokesperson for the police said an investigation into the cause of the fire would begin once the hall had sufficiently cooled down.

Amid a growing number of anti-migrant attacks in Germany, initial media reports suspected a racially-motivated arson attack. As recently as Tuesday, a school sports hall, converted into an emergency refugee shelter in the eastern town of Nauen, also caught fire.

Overnight into Wednesday, a suspected arson attack was also reported in nearby Leipzig. Asylum seekers had been due to move into the converted accommodation later that day.

Local authorities in Wittenau, however, have quashed rumors over the planned usage of the facility that caught fire Wednesday.

"There were no plans to use the sports hall as refugee accommodation," said a spokesperson for Berlin's Senate Department for Social Health.

Just meters away from the fire, however, are two homes, currently housing some 900 asylum seekers. According to local police, around 50 officers were deployed to the scene of the blaze, but an evacuation was not necessary.

In recent weeks, the sports hall had also been used by various sports clubs, including by refugee children once a week.

Berlin home operators Prisod also confirmed that there were no intentions to convert the sports hall. A party for the refugees was due to take place in the gym on Thursday, however.

"This is nothing extraordinary," a spokeswoman for Prisod added.

Despite having passed a routine check recently, a defect in the old electricity system has also been rumored to be a possible cause of the fire.

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kb/jil (dpa, epd, KNA)