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Field fire in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: house evacuated and flames threaten!
A field fire in Ludwigslust-Parchim led to the evacuation of a residential building. Firefighters battled the fire, affecting 15 hectares.
Field fire in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: house evacuated and flames threaten!
In recent days, fires in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have caused excitement. A field fire in Wittenburg in particular made the headlines. In the afternoon, the residents of an adjacent residential building even had to be temporarily evacuated as the smoke moved towards Autobahn 24. This led to a traffic report and the temporary closure of a state road. The fire department deployed around 120 firefighters to fight the fire, which kept flaring up due to the wind. The flames were finally extinguished after around two hours, but an area of around 15 hectares was destroyed. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, and there is also suspicion of negligent arson against unknown persons nordkurier.de reported.
The situation is not made any easier by the current weather situation. In large parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the second highest forest fire warning level is 4, while in some regions the highest danger level 5 has even been declared. Another fire incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon near Schmadebeck, where around 20 hectares were affected, but the fire department quickly brought the fire under control. Loud bild.de Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is considered one of the areas in Germany at risk of forest fires, especially the pine forests in the Mecklenburg Lake District, Vorpommern-Greifswald and Ludwigslust-Parchim districts.
Increased risk of forest fires
The current drought and the associated low humidity increase the risk of forest fires in the region. The forest area in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania covers an impressive 558,000 hectares. Historically, there was a dramatic increase in wildfires in 2022, with 2,397 incidents recorded, compared to 548 fires in 2021. This shows how the threat situation has worsened in recent years. Many of the fires are caused by negligent behavior or arson, while only 1-3% are of natural origin, such as Umweltbundesamt.de explained.
The weather-related risk of forest fires has remained stable or increased in certain regions in recent years. Fears of devastating consequences such as those in the past, for example when contaminated munitions in Lübtheen made it difficult to extinguish the fire, are present. Therefore, special caution is required, especially in the vulnerable areas. The Mirow Forestry Office has already taken preventive measures to minimize the risk and raise awareness among the population.
At a time when the dangers of forest fires should finally be taken seriously, it remains to be seen how the authorities will respond to the current situation. The experts are trying to get the risk of forest fires under control using innovative technologies and proven methods. But one thing is certain: the dry weather is not making it any easier to keep the flames under control.