Prominent building at Diekirch brewery burns
By Sarah Cames and Emery P. Dalesio
Arson has not be ruled out after a fire early on Sunday gutted a decades-old stone building at the site of the brewery which produces Diekirch and Mousel beers.
The blaze at the Brasserie de Luxembourg in Diekirch left a new beer production building that opened in 2019 undamaged, authorities said. The damaged building was intended to be preserved as the site is rehabilitated into a residential community that has been planned for a decade and in development since 2012.
The 900-square-meter hall was a tower of flames that could be seen for several kilometres by the time fire crews arrived after midnight. About 100 firefighters fought the blaze for about two hours.
"When you arrive for a mission and the flames are already so high, you know that there probably won't be much left of the building," said Cédric Gantzer of Corps Grand-Ducal Incendie & Secours, the country's fire force.
Police were unable to provide any information early Sunday about the possible cause of the fire but said that arson could not be ruled out. Investigators asked anyone who might have seen suspicious persons or vehicles near the scene late on Saturday to contact the Diekirch police.
The Brasserie de Luxembourg, founded in 1871, has occupied its current site near the Sauer River since at least 1930. The brewery was bought by the world's largest beer company, Belgian-based AB-InBev, in 2002.
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