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Blazing flames in the »Badezeit« restaurant
Photo: Georg Supanz / dpa
A beach restaurant on the promenade in Westerland burned down early Thursday morning.
The building can no longer be saved, said the fire brigade leader of the Sylt community, Siegfried Engel, of the German Press Agency.
"It's completely gone." Some houses nearby were evacuated because of the heavy smoke.
The apartments should be released again promptly after the fire brigade has measured the pollutants.
In the morning, the fire brigade was still busy putting out the fire.
First fire on the roof
No one was injured in the fire, a police spokeswoman said.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were not yet known.
At 6:19 a.m., a fire on the roof was initially reported.
Almost half an hour later, the message came that the building was on fire.
Because of the smoke, the population had been asked to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off the ventilation and air conditioning systems.
As the NDR reported, the building of the "Badezeit" restaurant dates back to the 1950s, when it was a milk spa where milk was served.
In 1998 the business was converted into a restaurant.
swe/dpa