Forest fire danger in Brandenburg at its highest: Alert level 5 is imminent!

Forest fire danger in Brandenburg at its highest: Alert level 5 is imminent!

The risk of forest fires in Brandenburg currently remains alarmingly high. Again Daily Mirror According to reports, the fire brigades have successfully extinguished several smaller fires in the last few days. A particularly worrying incident occurred in Schönberg, where approximately 1.7 hectares burned. The cause of this fire is still unclear, but it is suspected that it may have started from stored wood.

In Cottbus, a forest ground fire covered around 1.5 hectares. This meant that the adjacent railway embankment was affected and trains to Drebkau were canceled. Overall, the forest fire risk in Brandenburg is currently at level 4 out of 5, with level 3 even being recorded in the northwest. According to forest fire protection officer Raimund Engel, the highest danger level of 5 could even be reached in the south of Brandenburg on Sunday.

Current fire developments

So far this forest fire season, 145 fires have been registered, which represents a significant increase compared to the previous year. Unlike in 2024, where only around 220 hectares were affected, 2023 shows a worrying trend with around 770 hectares. In this context, firefighters are already talking about Brandenburg as “Little California”, because the forests and soils here are significantly more susceptible to fires, especially due to the highly flammable pine forests on sandy soils.

Brandenburg is affected by these challenges across the country with an area of ​​around 1.1 million hectares, or around 37 percent of the total area. Over 90 percent of all forest fires can be attributed to human activity, although the responsibility clearly lies with us humans. Almost 99 percent of the damage to forest areas can be attributed to our behavior, while lightning is the only natural cause of fire.

Preventive measures and perspectives

Given this ever-present fire risk, appropriate precautionary measures are essential. According to the Forest Act, violations of preventive forest fire protection can be punished with fines of up to 20,000 euros. This urgency is also underlined by the newly founded forest fire competence center in Brandenburg. This center aims to develop innovative approaches to fighting vegetation fires and train firefighters for emergencies.

The region is struggling with increasing risks due to the ongoing drought. Forestry experts are working to make forests more resilient by planting deciduous trees. Concern about the harvest is also great among farmers, who fear for their yields given the extreme conditions. NABU is also sounding the alarm about the drought and calling for more attention to the issue.

The fire brigade is active every day in the forests of Brandenburg in order to be prepared for the unforeseeable. Training is an important part of training in order to best prepare emergency services for the challenges of forest fires. As Norman Barth, training manager in this area, emphasizes, it is crucial to correctly classify the vegetation and quickly derive technical decisions. This makes training a central element in the fight against forest fires.

With all of these measures and awareness of the dangers, it remains to be hoped that Brandenburg can successfully overcome the challenges ahead in the 2025 forest fire season. The situation remains tense, but preparations give cause for optimism.