BERLIN (Reuters) - Scores of firefighters battled to put out a blaze at the home of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra on Tuesday that sent banks of thick smoke billowing from the city's architectural landmark.
About 170 firefighters and more than 30 emergency vehicles were dispatched to extinguish the fire, which broke out during an afternoon concert, the local fire brigade said.
Using saws, firefighters peeled back sections of the slanted roof to get closer to the fire, while flames began flickering through gaps elsewhere in the covering in late afternoon.
Musicians and visitors to the Philharmonie, a controversial design by Hans Scharoun completed in 1963, were not hurt in what was the first serious blaze at the building, police said.
"It makes you want to cry, to be honest," said 33-year-old baritone Christof Hartkopf as he looked at the burning building.
Hartkopf said he was due to sing in a performance of Hector Berlioz's Te Deum conducted by Claudio Abbado this weekend.
Police cordoned off the angular, yellow concert hall, which is renowned for its acoustics. As plumes of thick smoke spread across the city, scores of people gathered for a closer look.
Karsten Goewecke of the Berlin fire brigade told a news conference inside a fire-proofed section of the building that efforts to douse the blaze would likely continue overnight.
