Forest fires in Brandenburg: disaster alarm and danger to communities!

Forest fires in Brandenburg: disaster alarm and danger to communities!

In the past few days, the situation in Brandenburg has dramatically worsened. High temperatures and persistent drought have led to devastating forest fires, which have spread particularly in the Gohrischheide, near the Saxon border. The forests around Jüterbog in Teltow-Fläming are also affected. MAZ-ONLINE reported that catastrophenal arm has already been called up.

The fire in Jüterbog is now under control, but has affected an area of ​​around 165 hectares. A look back on the year 2023, when almost 688 hectares were affected by a similar forest fire. These repeated incidents raise the question of how the forest fire risks change with the progressive climate change. Experts predict that such attacks could increase because the drought and heat are favored by global warming. Statista informed about the fact that in Germany over 1,200 hectares of forest were destroyed by fires.

Development of the fires in Saxony and Brandenburg

While the fire in Gohrischheide spread further, the situation on the Brandenburg side of the border relaxed, according to Tagesschau . The reason for this was a flash of wind that reduced the risk of fire. While the emergency services from Saxony and Brandenburg comprises over 500 men and women, they face major challenges, since the extinguishing work is endangered in some areas by detonating ammunition.

A threatening escalation will be feared next Saturday. In order to prevent the fires from spreading, even emergency activities are carried out in Elbe-Elster, but this is associated with financial losses for the affected farmers. Two towns had to be evacuated in Saxony, but one of the evacuations has now been lifted. Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer thanked the emergency services for their work and emphasized the need for better technical and personnel equipment in order to be able to combat the forest fires more effectively in the future.

The causes and consequences of forest fires

The reasons for the increasing risk of forest fire are complex: arson and negligence is particularly common. Around half of the fires have unexplained causes, such as Statista . As for health aspects, the effects of releases such as fine dust should not be underestimated. Such fires are not only a danger to the environment, they also have negative economic consequences. In 2022 there was a record in the loss of forest areas, which shows a need for society as a whole.

It should be noted that the fight against forest fires is an urgent topic for the entire region. The increase in the emergency services, the preparation for possible tightening of the situation and a better understanding of the causes are urgently necessary to counter future disasters. Climate change brings additional challenges; It remains to be seen whether Brandenburg and Saxony have grown.