Roof fire in the historic thatched roof building: guests rescued in time!

Roof fire in the historic thatched roof building: guests rescued in time!

On September 24, 2025, a serious fire rocked a historic thatched-roof building in Hamburg that was used as a hotel-restaurant. Thanks to the fire department's quick response, something worse was prevented. The alarm was raised after the building's employees noticed thick smoke in the ridge area around the chimney and immediately triggered the alarm, raising the alarm level to FEU2. Fortunately, all guests and staff were able to leave the building unharmed.

Fortunately, the Groß-Flottbek volunteer fire department was in the immediate vicinity and reacted quickly. Firefighting attacks were started immediately using two C-pipes, while two turntable ladders were used at the front of the building. The Großflottbeker Weir was supported by the fire departments from Lurup and Lokstedt, who helped with the water supply. A nearby fire hydrant made the extinguishing work much easier, and the emergency services were able to fight the fire with water from both the outside and the inside.

Complex firefighting on a thatched roof

Thatched roofs pose a particular challenge during fires. As FeuerwehrMagazin explains, such fires often lead to the total loss of the building, and the fire department often has to pay more attention to protecting adjacent buildings. The insulating effect of thatch means that extinguishing water often runs off, making it very difficult to cover burning roofs.

In this case, an area of ​​around 10 meters of the roof ridge was included in the extinguishing work. A special extinguishing technique with so-called fognails was used, which atomizes the extinguishing water into a fine spray mist. The entire operation lasted around four hours and was then successfully completed and the building was then handed back to those responsible.

Background and fire protection measures

Using thatch as roofing is not only traditional, but also practical when thinking about fire safety. According to HISS Reet, the moisture-insensitive and mold-resistant nature of high-quality thatch offers a certain level of safety. The risk of fire and the spread of fire can be further reduced through suitable fire protection measures such as the use of PROMATECT®-T.

Despite the enormous challenges posed by fires in thatched roof houses, as recent incidents show - for example in List on Sylt, where a fire caused extensive damage - the importance of a quick and well-coordinated fire brigade deployment strategy cannot be underestimated. The Hamburg fire department once again showed that it can respond to this emergency with speed and efficiency.

It is to be hoped that such fires can be prevented even more effectively in the future, as a thatched roof is not only an attractive element of our architecture, but also one that is worth protecting.