Gohrischheide forest fire: Fire brigade fights against embers!

Gohrischheide forest fire: Fire brigade fights against embers!

In Gohrischheide, an idyllic forest area in Saxony, a forest fire has been keeping emergency services on tenterhooks since the beginning of July. The situation has stabilized, but the danger is far from averted. There are currently still embers that need to be fought again and again. Around 400 firefighters, supported by the Technical Relief Agency (THW) and the police, are on duty to keep the flames at bay. This is reported by the star.

The district office estimates that around 2,400 hectares of forest are affected - this corresponds to more than three quarters of the total area of ​​Gohrischheide. Residents of the nearby town of Heidehäuser were able to return to their homes after an evacuation on Tuesday as the authorities lifted the measures.

Coordination of emergency services

The railway line between Riesa/Bogendreieck Zeithain and Falkenberg was not directly affected by the fire, but was closed by the authorities for precautionary reasons. Railway employees are not allowed to enter the area, while train connections are primarily reserved for freight traffic. Freight traffic sometimes has to use extensive diversions; Occasionally, long-distance trains between Berlin and Dresden are also rerouted via this route MDR informed.

The THW has set up extensive water funding. Large pumps are used to continuously pump water from a gravel pit near Boragk over a 2.5 kilometer long hose route. Several water bubbles have accumulated there for the fire department and farmers to collect. The need for water is great and technical resources have been increased to ensure that the emergency services are optimally equipped.

Learning processes and new tactics

District Administrator Ralf Hänsel (CDU) emphasizes that the lessons learned from the devastating forest fire in 2022 have led to improvements in firefighting. Access roads to the forest area were expanded and paths were cut to enable faster access for the fire brigade. Nevertheless, the German Fire Brigade Association criticizes that the equipment of the emergency services is not optimal for today's forest fire risk. Germany lags behind other countries such as Poland when it comes to disposing of old ammunition residues and there was never a complete disposal in the Gohrischheide because the costs were too high.

A central point in fighting fires is the development of new extinguishing tactics. In the past, fire was often extinguished from the road and attempts were made to wet the undergrowth. However, this method has its pitfalls: the fire can work its way to the irrigated areas and, when these dry out, combustible material remains. A rethink is required here in order to minimize the risks for the region in the long term.

The problem of forest fires has increased in recent years, which also underlines the importance of the forest as a protective and recreational area. In Germany, forest fire data has been collated since the 1970s in order to be prepared against this threat. The aim is to reduce the area and number of forest fires in the future. For this purpose, the collection and evaluation of data is essential BLE reported.

In these challenging times, the hope remains that the efforts of the emergency services will soon be rewarded and that the Gohrischheide can overcome the fire so that the beautiful landscape can soon bloom in all its glory again.