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Fire engine in a forest between Treuenbrietzen and Beelitz: expected rain
Photo: Annette Riedl / dpa
Heavy rain provided relief in the fight against two large forest fires in Brandenburg in the early morning.
First, 135 hectares of forest burned at night near
Treuenbrietzen
- 80 kilometers southwest of Berlin, as local authorities reported.
Shortly after 7 a.m., the rain got heavier and heavier.
The rain radar also shows rain and thunderstorms for the next few hours.
Only about 20 kilometers apart, two large forest areas near Treuenbrietzen and
Beelitz
(both in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district) burned at the weekend.
The clouds of smoke were so dense that, according to the fire department, the smell of fire could even be heard in Dresden, about 150 kilometers further south.
In Beelitz, too, the situation relaxed in the morning.
It did not have to be evacuated further and the so-called fire lines could be maintained, as Mayor Bernhard Knuth announced.
"It looks much more relaxed," said the non-party politician.
The rain, among other things, contributed to the relaxation.
According to the authorities, 435 emergency services, especially the fire brigade, were on site during the night in the forest fire near Treuenbrietzen.
In Beelitz, the fires had spread to 200 hectares on Sunday.
Some streets were evacuated.
Changing winds had caused the fire to spread rapidly.
The fight against the flames is particularly difficult in the area because ammunition is still lying in the ground of a former blasting and training area.
The firefighters can therefore not approach the fire directly.
Bundeswehr helicopters therefore took tens of thousands of liters of water from a nearby quarry pond during dozens of flights and extinguished it from above.
The town of Beelitz has around 13,000 inhabitants and is known for growing asparagus.
The State Horticultural Show is currently taking place there.
It will be closed this Monday.
One of the reasons given by Managing Director Marina Ringel was that the show's main car park is currently being used for emergency vehicles.
wit/dpa