Landmark wooden tower burns down in Frankfurt

BERLIN – A wooden tower that was a landmark in the central German city of Frankfurt has burned to the ground, with authorities suspecting arson.

The German news agency dpa reported that the Goethe Tower, a popular destination for visitors in Frankfurt’s city forest, burned down early Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said that some 60 firefighters raced to the scene, but all they could do was prevent the fire from spreading as the tower collapsed.

“It all looks like arson. There were no electronics inside the tower and there were also no thunderstorm last night,” she said.

The lookout tower, which visitors could climb, was 43 metres tall (141 feet) and built in 1931. It was named after the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and was renovated three years ago at a cost of almost 500,000 euros (dollars).