GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A warehouse loading dock in Rolle that belongs to Schenk, one of Switzerland’s largest wineries that is also the country’s largest wine importer and wholesaler, caught fire Tuesday evening at 20:15. The warehouse is next to the A1 autoroute and the loading dock, on the lake side of the building, is just metres from a busy Migros supermarket that closed for the evening at 19:00.

No one was injured and police investigators are working with the fire department to determine the cause of the blaze.

The fire was contained in the loading dock area, but had spread to the roof there before it was brought under control, and a large amount of smoke issued from the building. The warehouse itself, 60 by 40 metres, did not suffer fire damage, but thick smoke poured through the wine storage area. The cost of the damage has not yet been determined; Schenk produces some of Switzerland’s finest wines, including some of the prestigious Clos, Domaines & Chateaux wines in canton Vaud.

Ninety firefighters with 27 vehicles including heavy firefighting equipment responded to the alarm, from Aubonne, Rolle, Nyon, Région Venoge, Morge, Gland and Lausanne, as well as four police patrols and an ambulance.