A fire that seriously damaged the birthplace of former East German leader Erich Honecker appears to have resulted from a technical fault, officials said on Thursday.
There were no indications of deliberate arson, a police spokesman said two days after the blaze in the historic house in the western German town of Neunkirchen.
Honecker led the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) as both head of state and leader of the ruling SED party from 1971 until his removal from power in 1989, shortly before the state's collapse.
Initial estimates by investigators put the damage to the house and neighbouring structures at around €750,000 ($801,000). No one was hurt in the fire. An investigation into the cause remains ongoing.
The emergency services initially thought that two children were missing. However, it later transpired that all residents had been able to leave the building unharmed. Forty people had to spend the night in emergency accommodation after the incident.
Honecker was born in the house in the state of Saarland on August 25, 1912. He died in 1994. He only lived briefly in Neunkirchen until his family moved to the neighbouring district of Wiebelskirchen in 1913.