Extreme heat in Brandenburg: Risk of forest fire and heat protection for homeless people

Extreme heat in Brandenburg: Risk of forest fire and heat protection for homeless people

Elbe-Elster-Kreis, Deutschland - in Brandenburg are the signs at risk: the hot weather of the past few days has not only let the temperatures skyrocket, but also massively increased the risk of forest fire. The current status shows that the region will have to expect up to 32 degrees next weekend, which further increases the risks for forest fires. In fact, the highest danger level 5 of forest fire protection commissioned Raimund Engel was forecast for Sunday, especially in the southern areas of Brandenburg. This unemployment is reinforced by the fact that 145 fires have already occurred in this forest fire season - that is significantly more than in the previous year. Last weekend, for example, ten forest fires had to be extinguished, which the fire brigade keeps trot. According to the Berliner Zeitung, the forests are also literally drying, which many city trees in Brandenburg an der Havel already gave massive vitality losses.

Not only the forests fight with the extreme conditions. Meanwhile, initiatives in Berlin are trying to protect people in the city. A new heat protection room in Schöneberg was launched to offer homeless people a way to protect themselves from the oppressive heat. The reporter of [Inforadio] (https://www.inforadio.de/rubriken/der-tag-in-berin-und-brandenburg/2025/07/waldbraende-in-brandenburg-hitzschutz- fuer-objectless.html reports on the hard work of the park cleaners of the BSR, which are in use despite the high temperatures outside. It becomes clear that the fight against the heat wave is a challenge in many areas.

The dangers of the drought

The weather expert of the German Weather Service emphasizes that Brandenburg has received very little rain in spring since 1931. This drought not only has fatal effects on the forests, but also on agriculture. The farmers expect crop losses, while the water supply of many plants is at risk. Quarks) also reports that there is an urgent need to better manage the forests and carbon storage through lower management intensity.

A real dilemma: On the one hand, less management could generate dead wood, which is fuel, on the other hand it stores water and carbon, which benefits the environment. In order to counteract the threats, there is the "Focus Wald" educational campaign, which lists simple rules for forest fire prevention. This includes, among other things, the strict adherence to prohibitions in smoking and grilling near forests, but also avoiding parking in dry grass areas.

The debate about climate change and its consequences will not only be loud in Brandenburg at the latest, but is also noticeable. It is all the more important to take preventive measures and to raise awareness of the situation in nature.