Renowned festival hall destroyed by fire
A major investigation was under way today after fire swept through a famed festival hall where composer Johan Strauss once staged concerts.
Investigators are trying to determine what caused the blaze at the Sofien Salon hall in Vienna, which broke out on Thursday night on the roof as renovations were under way.
The blaze forced rehearsing musicians to flee and three firefighters and a hall employee were taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
About 150 firefighters worked until Friday to bring the fire under control.
The fire gutted the historic 19th century building in central Vienna, melting the steel beams and leaving only the outside walls standing.
Musicians who were inside rehearsing alerted firefighters after they noticed smoke pouring from the roof, and the players tried unsuccessfully to douse the flames with buckets of water.
Authorities later evacuated nearby homes as a precaution. They estimated the damage at 100 million Austrian shillings (stg£4.4m).
The Sofien Salon is a Vienna landmark and a national monument known for hosting concerts, balls and lavish parties. The building itself, which dates to 1826, was used as a bath house, a public swimming pool and a meeting hall before Strauss and others began using it as a concert venue.
‘‘It was one of the most beautiful and traditional event venues in the world,’’ said Hannes Jagerhofer, a prominent concert and ball organiser in the Austrian capital.’’
