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Forest fires in East Germany: emergency services are fighting the flames!
Emergency services are fighting forest fires in Saxony and Thuringia while a disaster has been declared. Help and rain in sight.
Forest fires in East Germany: emergency services are fighting the flames!
There is currently a high alert in East Germany: hundreds of emergency services are fighting numerous forest fires, especially in Thuringia and in the border area between Saxony and Brandenburg. According to information from Watson A disaster has been declared because the fire on the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia is still not under control and around 250 hectares of forest have already burned. The water supply is becoming a challenge for the emergency services in many places, while embankment-related fires are affecting rail traffic.
More than 700 firefighters are currently supporting the fire-fighting work, with the emergency services having received support from the Federal Police with 100 approaches with 180,000 liters of fire-fighting water to date, reports daily news. But despite all efforts, the situation remains tense. The wind is moving towards Brandenburg and the fire brigade is on alert here. The operation is particularly tricky due to possible ammunition in the ground, which makes the work even more difficult.
Overall situation and extent of the fires
In terms of forest fires so far, a decrease to 1,059 fires has been recorded for the entire 2023 year compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the affected area of 1,240 hectares is above the long-term average Federal Environment Agency reported. Most of the fires were recorded in Brandenburg, where an impressive 765.2 hectares were in flames.
Looking into the future and possible solutions
The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday shows hope for rain, which could potentially help emergency services contain the fires. At the same time, the dangers of previous years are pointed out, according to which human actions, such as arson and carelessness, are the main cause in almost 40 percent of forest fires. In the future, the focus will be on more intensive prevention, particularly by converting endangered conifer monocultures into more stable mixed forests in order to better equip the forest against rising temperatures and water shortages in the coming years.
The current wildfire situation is proving to be an urgent problem that not only puts a strain on emergency responders, but also highlights the serious challenges our forests will face in the future.