Great fire in Langen Brütz: Fire brigade fights against flames in the cowshed!

Great fire in Langen Brütz: Fire brigade fights against flames in the cowshed!

On August 12, 2025, a devastating fire suffered a former cowshed in Langen Brütz, east of Schwerin. At 7:11 p.m., over 30 firefighters were alerted when the flames had already taken up the approximately 50 x 35 meter building. Around 400 old straw bales were housed in the barn, which made the extinguishing work more difficult. Firefight teams from several surrounding places, including Leezen, Cambs, Neu Schlagsdorf and Raben-Steinfeld, were quickly used to combat the fire and prevent worse things like NDR.

The emergency services first had to bring fire-fighting water from neighboring towns in vehicles and lay hose lines several hundred meters long. WEMAG also switched off the electricity at the site as a precautionary measure. The cause of the fire is still unclear and the amount of damage cannot currently be quantified. However, firefighting efforts are expected to continue into the night.

Council of fire and statistics

A stronger view of the background of stable fires is necessary, because there are no nationwide surveys above such incidents in Germany. Federal states such as Lower Saxony do not lead statistics on causes of fire and damage in agricultural companies. The initiative "Stall fire" criticizes the lack of reporting and tries to collect information about fire events, such as Agrarheute reports. According to an examination, electricity (23 %) and arson (15 %) are common causes of stable fires, with "human misconduct" also playing a significant role.

In a similar incident in Plate on February 16 of this year, employees noticed a fire in the cowshed and were able to activate an emergency chain. The fire brigade was quickly on site and, using breathing apparatus, the emergency services began with the extinguishing attack and the evacuation of the animals. Despite the dramatic situation, it was possible to quickly control the fire. It is estimated that the damage incurred in Plate on several tens of thousands of euros, and in this situation, the cause of the fire remains unclear, as [Nordkurier] (https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/schwerin/kuhstall-in-flammen- fire brigade-in-plate-tie--und-kinde-3335122) reported.

Fire protection in agriculture remains an important topic that certainly also needs more attention in public. Findings about the causes could help strengthen prevention measures and prevent future fires.