via: sansnom

A gigantic fire broke out on Friday, May 20, around 5 pm in Grand-Saconnex, in the airport area of Geneva. The entire upper part of the building under construction for the future federal asylum center went up in smoke. This building, which is currently under construction and located right next to the runways of Cointrin airport, was to open in the fall of 2023 and house both refugees seeking asylum in the district of Geneva and rejected asylum seekers from all over Switzerland (250 beds planned). Valued at 25 million Swiss francs, the building has been contested since its creation as a “semi-prison center”, and many tags “No to the deportation center” still adorn the neighborhood.

Finally, the icing on the cake, this enormous federal building in flames was also supposed to house the premises of the International Police (IP), which provides “security for diplomatic missions, migration police duties, protection of VIPs and airport security”, as well as the Franco-Swiss Police and Customs Cooperation Centre. Its inauguration, scheduled for 2022, has now been delayed for several months, and no new date has been set.

According to the Geneva police, the fire started on the roof where waterproofing work was in progress, causing several gas cylinders present there to explode, and its spokeswoman Joanna Matta limited herself to saying that an investigation was underway, while refusing to rule out “the criminal element”. Because of the heavy smoke, all air traffic at Geneva International Airport was also suspended for nearly two hours, with 22 flights cancelled or diverted to Lyon and Basel airports, and significant delays.

[Swiss press summary from May 20 to 23, 2022]