Waldbrand at Saalfelder Höhe: dramatic inserts under control!

Waldbrand at Saalfelder Höhe: dramatic inserts under control!

A dramatic forest fire on the Saalfeld Höhe in Thuringia has attracted the attention of the disaster protection forces in the region. On July 3, 2025, the disaster was proclaimed when a vegetation fire near Gösselsdorf broke out. After the situation quickly got out of control, the disaster protection units of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district were requested to support the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, such as [Rhoen Kanal] (https://rhoenkanal.de/2025/07/waldbrand-der-saalfelder-hohe-un-- Landkreis-SM-Mit-kraeften/)) reported.

Overall, the fire burned on an area of almost 300 hectares and thus represented the largest forest fire in Thuringia for at least three decades. The emergency services, which came from various fire brigades and DRK district associations, worked under difficult conditions that were shaped by the terrain and changing weather conditions. But on Monday morning, July 6th, fire was brought under control and the disaster event was immediately lifted.

extensive support

The district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen sent various specialized trains: from the water set to the care train, which took care of the supply and accommodation of the emergency services. More than 250 firefighters and volunteers were in action and performed over 60,000 hours, as the NDR team with Florian Schlüter emphasizes: "It is important that water is brought deep into the ground to suffocate embers" " ([NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/niederrichten/niedersachsen/braunschweig_harz_Goettingen/waldbrand- Einsatz-in-thueringen-feuerwehr-zurueck-in-Salzgitter, Waldbrand-260.html)).

In the first few days of the operation, extinguishing helicopters were also in use, but after a production stop on Sunday, however, there were no flights. The surrounding weather conditions played a role, but the prediction for Monday and Tuesday gave some relaxation through rain. Nevertheless, the disaster in the region was still active to ensure the security -oriented measures.

forest protection and consciousness

The importance of the forest and forest protection grow steadily- this can also be seen in the reports of the water and fire fighting measures in Thuringia. The Federal Administration has aggregated forest fire data since the 1970s to make forecasts and precautions to avoid fires. Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food indicates that the protection and maintenance of the forest plays a growing role in preventing forest fires and minimizing the areas that are lost through such fires.

The experience from this large -scale fire will be included in the follow -up operations and shape future exercises. The incident on July 3 once again proved how important a well -coordinated reaction is in such critical situations - only in this way can nature and ultimately the lives of people in the affected regions be protected.