Combating the flames: THW and fire departments are fighting in Saxony and Thuringia!

Combating the flames: THW and fire departments are fighting in Saxony and Thuringia!

In Saxony and Thuringia, numerous emergency services are currently fighting two massive forest fires that have escalated into a serious situation since the beginning of July. The Technical Relief Agency (THW) has been active since July 2, 2025 to support the fire department in the extensive extinguishing work. In Gohrischheide and Gösselsdorf in particular, the situation is on the brink. A major fire in Gohrischheide that broke out on July 1st has already devastated significant areas, while the fire in Gösselsdorf/Göltzsch, which has been raging since July 2nd, has affected at least 250 hectares. Cityreport reports on over 100 volunteers from various THW local associations who are on duty to stop the waving flames.

The coordinated cooperation between the fire department and THW is essential. Over 400 emergency services are active to control the fire risk, while the situation appears to be stable but tense. Experts repeatedly warn that the sources of the fire are close to munitions, which makes extinguishing work even more difficult. This acute fire is the largest that Thuringia has experienced in 30 years. Tagesschau also reports on evacuations in the area, including in Jacobsthal train station, where 45 people had to leave their homes to get to safety.

Challenges of fighting forest fires

Fighting fires is extremely challenging in the affected regions. Extinguishing efforts are particularly difficult on steep slopes and, despite their efforts, the fire brigade did not give any reason to give the all-clear. Federal police firefighting helicopters and armored fire engines are currently in use to fight the flames. The THW focuses primarily on logistics, water supply and lighting to support the work of the fire department. Janine Stock, THW state representative for Saxony and Thuringia, emphasizes the importance of water for fighting vegetation fires and emphasizes that a total of 34 THW local associations are available to further expand technical support. Cityreport

The causes of the intensity of the current forest fires are diverse, experts note. Climate change has significantly worsened the conditions for forest fires in Germany. Current risk studies predict an increase in the risk of forest fires in the coming decades. Forstwirtschaft-In-Deutschland shows that not only are temperatures increasing, but precipitation is also decreasing in the spring and summer months. The situation has changed drastically in recent years: In 2018, there were the most forest fires in Germany in 15 years, which has already caused extensive damage.

Outlook and support

So far, the emergency services are optimistic that the cooler night without further dynamics in the fire could help to stabilize the situation, at least in the short term. But efforts to fight the fires are expected to continue until early next week. Support comes not only from government institutions, but also from civil society commitment - farmers provide fire-fighting water. The fire department has the situation under control, but ultimately everything is a question of wind direction. So let's stay tuned to see how the situation develops.