Fire hits Berlin's Club der Visionaere

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    Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 09:10
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    Resident Advisor
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  • The blaze started early Saturday morning.
  • Fire hits Berlin's Club der Visionaere image
  • A fire has hit Club der Visionaere in Berlin. Local firefighters were called to the Kreuzberg venue earlier this morning. Tweets from the official Berliner Feuerwehr account said three people were "slightly injured" in the blaze and that the club was "almost completely burned out." Despite those initial reports, the club's owner, Gregor Kraemer, says no one was injured and that damage is confined to a small section of the club's outdoor sitting area. He hopes CdV will reopen soon and noted that this weekend's program will continue nearby at Hoppetosse starting Sunday. Kraemer gave the following statement to Resident Advisor this afternoon.
    Sadly, today at 8 AM an unfortunate fire broke out at Club der Visionaere. Before providing more details, we would like to express our extreme gratitude and relief that no one was injured in the incident, including guests or staff. We are happy to say that, contrary to earlier news reports, the entire club was not affected, only a section of the upper-level seating area located under the weeping willow tree, which was closed at the time of the fire. Once again, the club area itself was not affected. First measures were taken by staff, who were trained and certified as fire-protection first-responders. They ensured guests were evacuated in a calm and controlled manner without injury. The fire department then extinguished the fire shortly after their arrival to the scene. The cause of the incident is still unknown. Investigations are ongoing. We would like to thank the Berlin police and fire department for their effective response and continued commitment. We are now assessing the extent of the damage and hope to reopen soon after consultation with authorities. Until then, we will keep on keeping on by continuing the Club der Visionaere program at Hoppetosse as of tomorrow (Sunday). We would also like to express our extreme gratitude to the tremendous support in way of messages, posts and offers of help from our local and international Club der Visionaere family. Your presence really does bring a much-appreciated light to this otherwise darker moment. As well, your expressed compassion reminds us of and highlights the many warm relationships that have developed over the years. Thank you so very much for your sincerely felt words and energy.
    Last night's party featured several DJs from Tokyo plus Perlon affiliate James Dean Brown.
    Club der Visionaere, famous for its canal-side location and tiny dance floor, is one of Berlin's best-loved clubs. It's known for cultivating a style of minimal-leaning house and techno played by DJs such as Zip, Binh and Ricardo Villalobos. The club's most popular party takes place annually on May Day, regularly featuring the likes of Zip, Villalobos, Sonja Moonear and Margaret Dygas. The team behind CdV also runs the boat club Hoppetosse, which is docked nearby on the Spree.
    This story has been updated to reflect new information. We will continue to update it as we learn more. Photo credit: Wouter S
RA