Forest fire on Saalfelder Höhe: fire finally extinguished!

Forest fire on Saalfelder Höhe: fire finally extinguished!

The flames of a devastating forest fire near Gösselsdorf in Thuringia have finally been extinguished. On the morning of July 14, 2025, city spokeswoman Sina Rauch reported: “Fire out!” This follows an intense week in which hundreds of firefighters worked around the clock to battle the flames. A control flight with a drone brought the reassuring news that there were no longer any pockets of fire. Now the last emergency services can leave the scene of the fire and allow the region to calm down again.

The Fire Devil erupted on July 2, 2023, and the inferno quickly spread over an area of ​​approximately 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, underlining the dimensions of the disaster. After the disaster was extended as a precautionary measure on July 7th, it was lifted again on July 8th while post-extinguishing work continued.

The challenges of firefighting

The extinguishing work was an enormous logistical challenge. Despite adverse weather conditions that helped the emergency services in the form of drizzle and the use of thermal imaging cameras and drones, disaster tourists also arrived to observe the spectacle. This led to further problems in the already tense operational area. To ensure safety, a ban on entry to the affected area was issued, which is valid until the end of August. This means that around 250 hectares are closed, of which around 10 hectares are urban forest.

Nature is left to its own devices for now, 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 are complaining about enormous damage and asking for compensation - not to mention the emotional and ecological consequences of this fire.

A look at the forest fire situation in Germany

What is happening in Thuringia is part of a worrying trend: Due to climate change, cases of forest fires are increasing in Germany. In 2022, over 3,000 hectares of forest were affected, which is the highest in the last three decades. Also in 2023, over 1,200 hectares were destroyed by fire. The effects of forest fires are particularly devastating in southern European countries, the USA and the Amazon; and the number of forest fires in Germany has fallen significantly compared to the previous year, although caution remains advised. A particularly large number of forest fires in Germany were caused by intentional arson and negligent actions.

Nature has raged in recent days, and now the time has come for us to learn from the experience and be better prepared for such emergencies in order to protect our forests for future generations. This is shown to us not only by the recent incident in Thuringia, but also by global trends in dealing with fire and nature.

For anyone who wants to keep up to date with the situation, there are numerous ways to find information. This is how the Borken newspaper regular updates. Thüringen24 also provides exciting insights into the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire and the consequences of the fire: Thuringia24. Overall, it remains to be seen how the affected region will develop and what lessons will be learned from this disaster.

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