German police on Saturday said they had detained a suspect following a fire at Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest, in the state of Bavaria.

"A suspicious person was taken into temporary custody," police said, following an earlier statement which said firefighters had found the building "completely ablaze".

The site once housed the Nazi leader's heavily fortified country residence where he relaxed with his companion Eva Braun and wrote part of his book "Mein Kampf".

Emergency services arrived on site at 9.52pm on Friday and found a large fire, the Upper Bavaria South police headquarters said.

Police spokeswoman Lisa Maier said firefighters were struggling to extinguish the blaze due to its remote location, at an altitude of 1,834 metres.

"The criminal police investigation is ongoing," she said. (AFP)


Edited by Tony Sabine