A multi-million euro fire station in western Germany has burned down, along with 10 fire engines on the site – because it didn’t have any fire alarms installed.

The new fire station, in Stadtallendorf, was hailed by Oberhessische Presse, the town’s local newspaper, as a “modern, state-of-the-art” building when it opened last year.

But months later, Stadtallendorf firefighters, and others in the region, found themselves in the embarrassing situation of trying to put out a blaze at their own premises.

According to Oberhessische Presse, the fire station had not been fitted with fire alarms when it was constructed.

This was apparently because of it being classified as an equipment storage location, which does not legally require the installation of fire alarms.