Kruen, Germany - Schloss Elmau, a chateau in the Alps that operates as a luxury hotel and is a venue for international symposia, was devastated Sunday by a fire that began in an electric blanket.
From dawn 300 German firefighters battled the blaze as it spread through the five-storey hotel's upper levels, burning on late in the day. Police said the fire began in the room of a 91-year-man who had once been resort manager, apparently when the blanket overheated.
Ten persons were injured. The 400 guests and staff, most of whom lost their possessions, were moved to a nearby army base.
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The chateau, complete with monumental tower, was built in 1916 in towering Alpine scenery near the German town of Kruen to house an eccentric cult led by Johannes Mueller (1864-1949).
A maverick Protestant evangelist, he wrote best-selling self-improvement books and gathered a community of disciples at Schloss Elmau, which was paid for by a rich lady supporter.
After the commune died out, the Mueller-Elmau family developed the hotel into a top rural resort where young volunteers from round the world wait the tables. Israeli and American intellectuals attend its forums on music and ideas.
Chief executive Dietmar Mueller-Elmau said his grandfather's castle appeared to be a "write-off". - Sapa-dpa
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