It was an image that was imprinted: a huge ring of fire rolled over the mountain flank and lit up the night over the Sylvensteinsee.
A review.
Lenggries
- Exactly ten years ago the Schwarzberg / Falkenberg was on fire.
The extinguishing work and the disaster declared by District Administrator Josef Niedermaier lasted five days.
Hundreds of helpers were in action.
An area the size of 20 soccer fields was on fire
It hadn't rained for weeks that late autumn. Accordingly, everything was dry. On November 20, around 3 p.m., the first rescue workers are called to the Sylvensteinsee. A fire broke out in the mountain forest on the far bank. Two hours later, an area the size of 20 soccer fields is on fire. The water rescue service continues to transfer firefighters who try to extinguish from the ground. "Because of the site, that was over quickly," remembers the then district fire chief Karl Murböck. At this point the hope rests on support from the air - but that does not happen that day. The helicopters in Munich cannot take off because of the fog. “We had to let the fire burn overnight. We didn't know what was going to happenhow the wind develops, for example, and in which direction it drives the flames, ”says Murböck looking back.
The whole floor is full of embers
District Administrator Niedermaier proclaimed the disaster on Sunday.
The first helicopters arrive on Monday at 7.30 a.m.
Four of them will be busy extinguishing the fire all day.
Fortunately, the wind died down overnight.
Instead of open flames, plumes of smoke can now be seen in many places on the slope.
The whole floor is full of embers.
It is a race against time: the longer it takes to extinguish all embers, the more of the stabilizing roots of the vegetation will be destroyed - the next rain threatens to wash away the bit of earth that is in the exposed location and the mountain forest that To take livelihood.
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The extinguishing work lasted five days in November 2011
© arp / A
Help from technology that was new at the time
Locating the embers is not that easy.
A company from Penzberg comes to the rescue.
“It had a stationary thermal imaging camera, laid a grid over the whole mountain and supplied the helicopters with the coordinates of the individual embers,” recalls Murböck.
It was probably one of the first missions in which this technology was used, says the former district fire chief.
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The embers were detected with the thermal imaging camera.
© Fire Department
Extinguishing the fire in steep terrain is difficult
Tuesday begins with exploration flights. Meanwhile, the teams that have to go to the operational area are put together on the ground. "There are 20 men from the fire brigade and just as many people from the mountain rescue service who take over the security," said René Mühlberger at the time, who took on the press work for the fire brigade. Squads alternate throughout the day to extinguish the fire. The helicopters fly the helpers to the scene. Extinguishing the fire in the very steep terrain is difficult - not only because of the 22 kilo backpack syringe that many carry on their backs. It is also possible to work in one line only, so as not to increase the risk of falling rocks. “Sometimes the floor also had to be opened because the embers were very deep,” recalls Murböck.In between there is always support with extinguishing from the air.
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The extinguishing work on the ground was exhausting in the steep terrain.
© Pröhl / A
Work will continue until Friday.
600 to 700 helpers, most of them voluntary, are fighting the fire these days.
On November 25th, 2011 at 12:08 p.m. it was done.
The district administrator cancels the disaster and the fire is finally under control.
The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified
In the end, the deployment costs amount to over 150,000 euros.
The biggest chunks are the helicopter missions.
Part of this is reimbursed from the Free State's disaster fund.
And the forest?
In fact, the vegetation has developed quite well on the approximately 15 hectare burn area.
The Tölzer forest enterprise of the Bavarian State Forests mainly relied on larches for replanting.
"They complement the spruce and mulberry stock well and get along well with the poor soil there," says forest manager Rudolf Plochmann on request.
The larch has proven itself.
“We're on the right track there,” says Plochmann.
Of course, it will take many years for the forest to fully recover.
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Six months after the fire, the traces of the fire were still clearly visible.
© va / A
The cause of the fire - which was determined by the Weilheim police force - is by the way unexplained.
Negligent arson is assumed.
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