Gohrischheide on flames: 600 rescuers fight for forest fire!

Gohrischheide on flames: 600 rescuers fight for forest fire!

Gohrischheide, Deutschland - in Gohrischheide, the situation has come to a close time in the past few days. A forest fire that has been raging for several days has already cremated an area of ​​around 2,100 hectares. Over 600 helpers, supported by the latest technology such as extinguishing robots and helicopters, are in use to contain the fire. However, the conditions on site are anything but simple, which is mainly due to the decades of military uses in the area. These have left dangerous ammunition residues in the soil that reports an additional source of danger, such as [Deutschlandfunk] (https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gohrischheide-Fast- Comprehensive-burned-down-Ed-der-Saalfelder-hohe-100.html).

The first smoke signs were spotted on Tuesday. Disaster alarm was triggered for three communities on Thursday, while the evacuation of around 45 residents took place in Jacobsthal Bahnhof in the night from Friday to Saturday. Before that, around 100 people had had to leave their apartments in terms of the danger situation in Heidehäuser. The emergency services are around the clock against the flames, which could spread quickly due to strong wind and high temperatures.

a critical environment

The danger of extinguishing work should not be underestimated. The operations management has already set up a protective concept. Planning caterpillars serve to build protective strips, while unmanned the extinguishing robots from Brandenburg support the extinguishing work on site. According to Ingenieur, the recent satellite observation shows an increase in the burned area from the beginning of 2,100 hectares. This not only causes trouble locally, the smoke also moves to Berlin, which results in additional warnings in several counties.

The region is not only burdened by this fire, but is generally faced with a growing risk of forest fires. Climate change, which brings longer dry phases and higher temperatures, increasingly endangers the forests in Germany. Statista points out that in 2023 over 1,200 hectares were lost in Germany, and in 2022 with over 3,000 hectares even the highest value in the past 30 years.

outlook and possible risks

The prediction provides for rain for Monday, but it can also bring new risks with new gusts of wind. The situation remains tense and the emergency services do everything possible to extinguish the flames while the evacuation measures are maintained at the same time. The Gohrischheide, a former military training area on the border of Saxony and Brandenburg, is particularly susceptible to military contaminated sites and the arduous weather conditions.

The challenge that everyone involved must cope with is enormous. It is to be hoped that the weather situation will be relieved in the coming month and that the dangers can be gripped through the rapidly increasing risk of forest fire.