Action against devastating forest fires: Erzgebirge helps Meißen!

Action against devastating forest fires: Erzgebirge helps Meißen!

An intensive operational group is currently being formed in the Erzgebirgskreis to support the Meißen district in the fight against devastating forest fires. The 2nd water supply fire brigade of the civil protection service will remain in operation at least until next weekend View reported. The “Gohrischheide” fire, which has already set over 950 hectares of forest ablaze, is the largest forest fire that Saxony has experienced in the last 30 years. Numerous emergency services from the region were mobilized to combat the attack.

On Saturday morning, the fire brigade colleagues gather at the disaster control center in Annaberg-Buchholz. From there, the transfer will take place to the operational area, which will probably affect the “Heidehäuser” area. Inter-municipal cooperation is considered essential in this critical situation, as District Administrator Rico Anton also emphasizes. He thanks the emergency services for their tireless commitment and emphasizes that the Erzgebirgskreis is communicating closely with the Meißen district in order to react flexibly to the situation.

Forest fire fighting strategies

As part of this challenge, the Saxon State Ministry of the Interior has developed a comprehensive strategic concept for fighting forest and vegetation fires, which has already been presented to the Interior Committee of the Saxon State Parliament. A total of 30 million euros is available for this purpose for the years 2023 to 2026. The concept is intended not only to expand technical and professional resources, but also to plan training for the emergency services in order to better coordinate both ground and air operations. This reports Media service Saxony.

In addition, you must also observe the applicable regulations when dealing with open fire. In the entire Free State of Saxony, using open fires in the forest is prohibited all year round. The bans include smoking, grilling, campfires and even releasing sky lanterns, as the Saxon Forest Act makes clear. Violations are punished as administrative offenses and can be punished with fines of up to 1,000 euros. Information about this can be found on the website Sachsen.de.

Prevention and awareness

The fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park clearly demonstrated that the risk of forest fires can increase due to climatic changes and topographical conditions. The Erzgebirgskreis, together with the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district, is one of the particularly endangered areas. The new measures aim to holistically network preventive and defense strategies in order to combat future fires more effectively and ensure the safety of people and nature.

With the serious background of over 950 hectares of burned forest in Saxony, the contribution of the emergency services from the Erzgebirgskreis is more than just solidarity; it provides vital support in a time of crisis. It is now up to all of us to respect nature and show the necessary care when dealing with fire in the forest in order to preserve the landscape and its values ​​for future generations.