Enlarge image
Bundeswehr vehicles near the scene of the fire: the highway is still closed
Photo:
Christophe Gateau / dpa
The fire brigade now has most of the flames in Berlin's Grunewald forest under control.
However, the explosives site with the stored explosives is still a danger area.
After the violent explosions around the square, the police, with the help of the Bundeswehr, have now explored the dangerous and cordoned-off area.
A police demolition expert was driven to the area in the morning with a Bundeswehr armored recovery vehicle and collected first impressions, said fire brigade spokesman Thomas Kirstein.
These impressions would now be evaluated, then the fire brigade would receive an assessment of the situation.
It depends on whether firefighters are also allowed to enter the site and when the nearby motorway and railway lines can be released again.
In the forest at the cordoned-off blasting site, where there were still some flames and embers, an armored fire engine from a private company was also deployed on Friday on behalf of the fire brigade.
The spokesman said that extinguishing robots from Lower Saxony are expected to drive to the closed area and distribute water there.
Alternative location is also difficult to find in the Berlin area
In the forest further south of the blasting site, it burned again on Friday, smoke moved over residential areas in Zehlendorf.
Although it rained lightly in the morning, there were only short showers.
150 firefighters were also deployed.
According to the police, around 30 tons of "munitions and ammunition" from the Second World War and hundreds of kilograms of confiscated fireworks that were to be destroyed were stored on the 80,000 square meter site, almost an area of 300 by 300 meters.
Several buildings burned on Thursday night and violent explosions were heard.
The fire spread throughout the day in the dry forest area.
The cause is unclear.
The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) of the police is to determine whether it was possibly arson.
In view of the fire, a discussion has broken out as to whether the police detonation site in Grunewald is in the right place.
Berlin's police chief Barbara Slowik was basically open to a transfer.
However, the Berlin police still have daily operations where explosive ordnance has to be removed, she told the RBB information radio.
Because transporting old World War II bombs is very dangerous, a nearby blasting site is still needed.
With a view of the blasting site in the middle of the popular local recreation area, Slowik said: "Currently, this blasting site is the only permittable facility on Berlin land with 80,000 square meters, far away from residential buildings, which was very useful to the fire department yesterday." Brandenburg also has hardly any resources for one common detonation site in the Berlin area.
“We haven't found a way to do that yet.
Now there will be new talks.«
Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) announced on Thursday during a visit to the scene of the fire that she wanted to talk to the Berlin police about the location of the blast site.
You have to think about how to deal with the explosive site in the future and whether such a place is the right place in Berlin.
Slowik said that in Grunewald, fighting the fire has priority over investigating the cause of the fire.
The police blast site is well secured, there are fences, surveillance technology and around the clock property protection with on-site personnel.
apr/dpa
