The search for the cause of the fire in the three-star Schwarzwaldstube restaurant in Baiersbronn in Baden-Württemberg is initially not possible. The fire department commander Martin Frey said in the morning that the ruin was in danger of collapsing. "It is too dangerous."
The fire flared up again at 4.30 a.m., said Frey. According to him, the fire brigade was initially at the fire site with 50 emergency services and only reduced the number to ten in the morning. Parts of the roof and ceilings collapsed again and again.
A fire broke out in the around 230-year-old main building of the Hotel Traube Tonbach on Sunday night. The building, in which there were other restaurants and offices in addition to the renowned Black Forest parlor, was completely destroyed. The damage goes into the millions. A total of around 150 firefighters were deployed.
As a three-star restaurant, the Schwarzwaldstube belongs to an exclusive group of restaurants in Germany. Chef Torsten Michel has been awarded 19.5 out of 20 points in the current German edition of the "Gault & Millau" restaurant guide. He is one of the top chefs in Germany. With the "Guide Michelin", the "Gault & Millau" is one of the best-known gourmet guides worldwide.
For many years, Harald Wohlfahrt set standards in the Schwarzwaldstube restaurant and trained numerous later star chefs until he had to throw up with the owners and had to leave (read more about this in this SPIEGEL interview). His successor, Torsten Michel, made the seamless transition with three stars in 2017 - the restaurant has been wearing this since 1992.