The building near Zimmergasse and just opposite Alser Straße U-Bahn had to be evacuated after strong winds caused the fire to spread across the roof with the fire services describing it as a 'level 2' fire.
After a two hour intensive operation, the fire was eventually brought under control by 7 p.m.
Cars and trams were blocked from entering streets near the incident, causing traffic delays during rush hour on the Gürtel, described by some people online as “chaos”.
Schwerstarbeit für Feuerwehr wegen Sturm, Gürtel/Alserstraße – hoffe sie schaffen das u es ist keiner drinnen! pic.twitter.com/iVGI8L7XXm
— Stefan Kranewitter (@snuup) May 24, 2016
Many passengers on the U6 subway line were able to see the incident from the platform at Alser Straße, and several videos posted online show metre-high flames and billows of smoke, which spread across the 8th and part of the 9th district of Vienna.
No one was hurt although the roof of the building was badly damaged in the fire, the cause of which is not yet known.
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