Wald fire at Saalfeld height: Fire finally deleted!

Wald fire at Saalfeld height: Fire finally deleted!

At Gösselsdorf in Thuringia, the flames of a devastating forest fire are finally deleted. On the morning of July 14, 2025, city spokeswoman Sina Rauch reported: "Fire from!" This is followed by an intensive week in which hundreds of firefighters were deployed around the clock to fight the flames. A control flight with a drone brought the redeeming news that there were no more fire nests. Now the last emergency services can leave the fire location and let the region come to rest.

The fire devil broke out on July 2, 2023, and the inferno spread quickly over an area of around 250 hectares. This is the largest known forest fire area in Thuringia for around 30 years. A total of 2,400 hectares of forest were affected by the fire, which underlines the dimensions of the catastrophe. After the disaster was extended as a precaution on July 7th, it was lifted again on July 8th, while the post -extinguishing work continued.

The challenges of fire fighting

The extinguishing work was an enormous logistical challenge. Despite adverse weather conditions, which supported the emergency services in the form of drizzle and the use of thermal imaging cameras and drones, it was not possible that even disaster tourists arrived to watch the spectacle. This led to further problems in the already tense area of application. In order to ensure security, a ban on entering the area concerned was issued until the end of August. So about 250 hectares are blocked, of which around 10 hectares of city forest are.

Nature is initially left to itself, while Saalfeld's city forester wants to consult the methodology of other forest fire areas in order to learn from the crisis. In the meantime, forest owners complain about enormous damage and questions about damages - not to mention the emotional and ecological consequences of this fire.

A look at the forest fire situation in Germany

The events in Thuringia are involved in a worrying trend: Due to the climate change, the cases of forest fires are increasing in Germany. In 2022, over 3,000 hectares of forest were affected, which is the highest value of the past three decades. Over 1,200 hectares were also destroyed by fire in 2023. In the southern European countries, the USA and the Amazon region, the effects of forest fires are particularly devastating; And the number of forest fires in Germany has dropped significantly compared to the previous year, but caution remains. A particularly large number of forest fires in Germany were caused by intentional arson and negligent actions.

Nature has raged in the past few days, and now the time has come that we learn from experiences and have to be better prepared for such emergencies to protect our forests for future generations. This shows us not only the latest incident in Thuringia, but also the global trends in dealing with fire and nature.

For everyone who wants to keep up to date with the situation, there are numerous ways to find information. For example, the Borkener Zeitung regular updates. Thuringia24 also provides exciting insights into the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire and the consequences of the fire: Thuringia. Overall, it remains to be seen how the region concerned will develop and which teachings are drawn from this catastrophe.

The topic is not only relevant for Thuringia, but affects all of us, because the forests are our livelihood. A look at the Statista shows how important it is to act sustainably and develop future strategies.