Forest fire in Saxony: Brandenburg's fight against the flames!

Forest fire in Saxony: Brandenburg's fight against the flames!

A forest fire is raging at a former military training area in Gohrischheide near the Saxon-Brandenburg state border. The fire broke out on Tuesday, but was initially extinguished. The wind blows from the south and fans the embers again. Around 200 emergency services are currently deployed to fight the raging fire and prevent it from spreading to Brandenburg. Report this the colleagues from the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The fire has covered an area of ​​approximately 150 hectares, which is particularly sensitive given the munitions-laden nature of the area. The operation is not only complicated because of the cause of the fire; The police are investigating possible arson. The district fire chief Ingo Nestler announced that the emergency services must strictly adhere to the prescribed routes in order not to go into dangerous areas.

Emergency forces at the limit

The Federal Police helicopters have been in use since Wednesday morning. These can release up to 1,800 liters of water to effectively fight the sources of fire. They are supported by around 60 emergency services from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), who are not only responsible for transporting drinking water and fuel, but also use drones to explore the situation.

The area used to be a military training area and still poses many dangers from leftover ammunition. This makes the extinguishing work even more challenging. The head of operations, Martin Neumann, reports that the threat to Brandenburg is currently assessed as controllable. So far, firefighters have been able to stop the fire from spreading across the state border the daily mirror.

Forest fires in the context of climate change

Forest fires are not only an issue in Saxony and Brandenburg. Due to increasing dry and hot periods as a result of climate change, these fires have become an ever greater threat to our forests. In recent years, the number of forest fires in Germany has increased, which is confirmed by a Statista analysis that states that over 1,200 hectares were affected by fires in 2023 alone. The year before it was over 3,000 hectares - the highest value in the last 30 years. An alarming trend that endangers not only the ecosystem but also people's health as fine smoke and pollutants enter the air.

The causes are often arson or negligence, while only a handful of fires are caused by natural causes such as lightning strikes. Given the current situation in Gohrischheide, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether the dramatic scenarios that have been observed in southern European countries and the USA in recent years could also continue to threaten Germany. For more information about the current wildfire situation, please visit Statista.