Waldbrand in Gohrischheide: hundreds of forces fight the flames!

Waldbrand in Gohrischheide: hundreds of forces fight the flames!

In the Gohrischheide in the Meißen district, a violent forest fire has been raging since Tuesday, which has now affected an estimated 2,100 hectares. The situation is significantly more difficult by the old ammunition remains in the ground, which makes the extinguishing work for the approximately 600 emergency services of the fire brigade, federal police, the Bundeswehr and technical relief organization a real challenge, such as how MDR reported.

The fire -dangerous temperatures and strong winds contribute to the escalation of the location. Several towns, including Jacobsthal and the Heidehäuser, are acutely threatened. In order to ensure the safety of the population, evacuations had to be made. Around 100 people from Heidehäuser were brought to safety on Wednesday and 45 residents from Jacobsthal on Friday evening. The operations management in Meißen has maintained the evacuations to ensure the safety of the emergency services and the residents, confirms engts://www.ingenieur.de/technik/fachgebäge/waldbrand-der-gohrisch-aktuelle-lage-im-ueberblick/).

The large number of emergency services is in the constant fight against five identified foci. While the fire brigade and the THW are given support by using extinguishing robots in Heidehäuser, the federal police with fire -fighting helicopters and water cannons provide additional extinguishing measures. The federal police have already delivered a total of around 180,000 liters of fire -fighting water on 100 approaches. In a remarkable use, the Bundeswehr supports the bare tank to erect and contain the fire, so [MDR.

drones are also used to monitor the fire from the air. Despite the constant efforts, the emergency services remain in an alarming proximity, since the risk of detonation requires a safety distance of at least 1,000 meters to the flocks of the fire due to the remnant of the ammunition.

weather and other threats

The weather conditions are difficult: the fire brigades see high temperatures, strong wind and poor visibility through smoke. These conditions could further tighten due to upcoming thunderstorms. The view of the weather forecast is tense; Rain has been forecast for the coming Monday, but could bring new risks through wind gusts, such as engenieur.de notes.

climate change is a long -term factor that favors these forest fires. Germany was already affected by numerous forest fires in 2023, with over 1,200 hectares being burned. The Gohrischheide, a former military training area, is particularly at risk from its military contaminated sites and its scenic conditions. The region is also susceptible to the highest forest fire theater levels, which strongly influences the extinguishing work, as Statista.

The long extinguishing work could run by the beginning of next week, said District Administrator Ralf Hänsel. The team also has to ensure that the water supply for fire fighting is maintained, although reports on exhausted deep wells are increasing.

In this dramatic situation, once again the overall problem of forest fires in Germany and the challenges that nature puts the emergency services is, while the country is heading for a worrying future with regard to climate change.