Overview
- Fire broke out early Friday in the roof of the Velbert castle under renovation, which burned down completely.
- Firefighting continued for more than 60 hours through Sunday, with about 100 personnel and support from neighboring towns.
- Teams used rope-access tactics to extinguish lingering hotspots while THW engineers assessed structural safety.
- THW crews removed the remaining roof timbers, and a specialist firm pumped firefighting water from the cellar.
- Bernsaustraße reopened Sunday afternoon as operations wound down, and the mayor along with SPD and CDU backed a full restoration.