Police in Berlin are investigating the possibility of arson after a fire destroyed part of a refugee accommodation centre on the grounds of a former airport on Tuesday.
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, but a Berlin police spokeswoman said that it appeared to start somewhere inside the large tent hall and that, "according to current findings, it can be ruled out that the hall was affected from the outside."
The roughly 1,000-square-metre tent that was home to about 300 people was destroyed in the blaze. Those living there had fled the war in Ukraine, but everyone - including children and animals - managed to evacuate safely, according to the fire brigade and the operator of the accommodation centre at the former Tegel airport.
Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to other tents.
According to the police, nine people were medically examined as a precaution, but no one was taken to hospital.
According to the Berlin State Office for Refugee Affairs, alternative accommodation was provided for the people affected on the site.
The arrival centre for migrants is among the largest such facilities in Germany, and was originally constructed as temporary housing for people fleeing Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
