The Bahnhofbrücke to Central areas were opened to cars, trams and buses again during the night, the Swiss news agency SDA-ATS said. Futher sections, such as underpass near the Swiss National Museum up to the Rudolf-Brun-Brücke, have now been reopened, after the situation was assessed by structural engineers, Zurich city police said in a statementExternal link late Sunday morning.
Traffic had been disrupted in the area around the main station on Saturday after a huge fire broke out in a commercial building near Zurich main station in the early hours of Saturday morning.
swissinfo.ch could report that traffic was flowing quite normally around the station, which is Switzerland’s largest, on Sunday morning. The immediate area around the damaged building – which is over the road from the main station and not far from the Coop supermarket – is still cordoned off, with security officials standing guard. This measure was confirmed by the Zurich city police statement.
The first calls about the blaze came in at 2.16 AM on Saturday. The flames shot several metres high into the sky and could be seen around the city.
The corner building’s attic was completely in flames by the time the fire service arrived at the Bahnhofquai location and the blaze then spread to further parts of the building and into another adjacent building. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by around 4AM. The building was empty and being renovated, according to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
External Content
The extent of the damage is huge, a Zurich emergency services statement said.
Eyewitnesses said that they heard two explosions at around 2.30 AM, with at least one gas bottle exploding. Police have found parts of a gas bottle in Bahnhofstrasse. A police officer suffered ear trauma due to the explosions. It is not known if there are any further injuries at this time.
The cause of the fire also remains unknown and police are appealing for witnesses.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
Swiss Jew wrongfully detained due to prosecutor’s ‘bias’
This content was published on
A Jewish Swiss man was detained after the prosecutor argued he might flee to Israel. The Federal Court said this implies bias due to his Jewish faith.
US reportedly scrutinises Russian accounts UBS took over from Credit Suisse
This content was published on
The US is investigating Russian clients acquired by UBS during its takeover of Credit Suisse, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
WTO plans to reappoint Okonjo-Iweala before Trump swears in
This content was published on
Some member states of the World Trade Organization may seek to reappoint Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, according to a document released on Tuesday.
Swiss village gets half a million amid rockfall threat as some residents resist evacuation
This content was published on
The Swiss village of Brienz has been granted CHF500,000 due to a rockfall threat. But some residents are questioning the authorities’ evacuation orders.
This content was published on
Starting Wednesday, Swiss researchers will have access to the European Research Council’s Proof of Concept Grants, said the European Commission.
Switzerland fined for denying asylum for gay Iranian
This content was published on
Switzerland violated the prohibition on inhuman treatment by considering that a gay Iranian could be returned to his country.
Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
This content was published on
A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
This content was published on
The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
This content was published on
A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Some areas open again after blaze near Zurich station
This content was published on
A huge fire broke out in a building near Zurich main station on Saturday, resulting in disruption. Some areas have now reopened.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.