Great fire in Thuringia: 250 hectares of forest are on fire!

Great fire in Thuringia: 250 hectares of forest are on fire!

A huge forest fire is currently raging in the Saalfeld height and the situation is tense. Since Wednesday, around 250 hectares of forest have been smoking and the local fire brigades were also in full commitment at the weekend to fight the flames. The ILM district provides support for the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, which has proclaimed the disaster in order to request additional support. A total of around 670 emergency services from Thuringia and Bavaria are on site to avoid worse things and extinguish the foci. According to insuedthueringen.de, the voluntary fire brigades were active and perform amazing in this difficult Location.

The situation is difficult by technical problems, because a police fire helicopter from Erfurt had to temporarily stop working due to a defect. Now, however, he has been in use again since Thursday evening. Three fire trucks from Bavaria were also requested to strengthen the deletion measures, since this forest fire has been the largest in Thuringia for at least 32 years. This can be seen from information from the State Institute of Thuringiaforst, as reported by the MDR.

The challenges on site

Despite the intensive extinguishing work, there are always problems. A street in Reichmannsdorf to Großneundorf had to be closed because numerous onlookers hinder the emergency services. The police warn the gaffers to keep themselves away from the forest fire. The investigation into the cause of the fire is also in progress, but the criminal police can only approach the crime scenes after the extinguishing work has been completed. Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) visited the fire town and expressed his thanks to the helpers. He expects such larger fires to occur more frequently in the future.

Maier calls for a common civil protection helicopter for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, which could be stationed in Erfurt. He points out that more financial resources from the federal government should be provided for civil protection. In addition, the CDU parliamentary group in the Thuringian state parliament has initiated an examination of the stationing of Löschhelikopters and aircraft at Erfurt-Weimar Airport. Prime Minister Mario Voigt (CDU) was fully respectful for the firefighters and rescuers who risk their lives for the safety of others.

a comprehensive problem

forest fires are a phenomenon that has not only been shown in Thuringia in recent years. In 2023 there were a total of 1,059 forest fires in Germany. Although this represents a decrease of half compared to the previous year, the affected forest area was 1,240 hectares above the long -term average. The number of fire cases also shows regional differences, with frequent cases in northeastern Germany, in the eastern northwest Germany and in the Upper Rhine lowlands. In Brandenburg there were even 251 fires, which makes the region the most affected, as the Federal Environment Agency.

experts forecast an increasing risk of forest fire in the coming decades due to higher temperatures and fewer precipitation. Younger and light needle forests with dense undergrowth are particularly at risk. To counteract this, the conversion of needle tree monocultures in mixed forests is recommended to stabilize and protect the forest ecosystems.

The situation in Saalfeld-Rudolstadt once again shows how important it is to act preventively in order to preserve nature and safety of people. While the emergency services do their best, it remains to be hoped that the flames can be deleted soon and that the due date for the cause of the fire will be clarified faster.