A fire broke out in one of the largest natural history museums in Germany during the night. No one was injured in the fire in the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt am Main, according to the fire brigade.

Among other things, the museum is known for its huge dinosaur skeletons. The extent of the damage was initially unknown. A police spokesman said: "One suspects a technical defect in the basement." Upper rooms had been filled with smoke. The Senckenberg Natural History Museum closed its doors to visitors at the weekend "due to technical problems".

According to the fire brigade, the fire broke out in a windowless adjoining room with no exhibits in the electrical distribution system. The flames were quickly under control. The fire brigade, which came with 20 emergency services in six vehicles, used mobile fans in the more than 100-year-old building to vent the smoke through other rooms and distant windows to the outside. The police spokesman announced the use of fire investigators.