Heat hammer in Germany: the first city closes barbecue areas
Created: 06/15/2022, 16:56
By: Martina Lippl
In this weather, many people are itching to grill.
Due to the risk of forest fires, Stuttgart closes public barbecue areas (symbolic photo).
© Arnulf Hettrich/imago
Hardly any rain and now extreme heat.
With this summer weather, the risk of forest fires continues to increase in some regions.
Stuttgart is blocking all public barbecue areas – until further notice.
Stuttgart – “The risk of forest fires in Stuttgart has risen sharply within a short period of time,” the city announced on Wednesday.
In the coming days, the so-called forest fire level 4 is expected - that means "high risk".
The city of Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg) is therefore blocking fireplaces on the barbecue areas of the city of Stuttgart - in the city forest and in the green areas.
Due to the high risk of fire, the closure is imperative.
"As soon as the weather conditions permit, the barbecue areas will be open again," it said.
Risk of forest fires increased sharply within a short period of time
The garden, cemetery and forestry office (GFF) fears forest fires in particular.
The agency warns that a fire can be triggered by broken glass from a discarded bottle, a cigarette or flying sparks.
There is therefore a general smoking ban in the forest from March up to and including October.
Making fires in the forest is also strictly forbidden.
Now the exceptions for barbecue fans are taboo.
It's going to be really hot this weekend!
Weather experts expect record values of almost 40 degrees.
Will other cities follow suit with a strict barbecue ban?
The Ministry of the Environment in Hesse warns of an increased risk of forest fires throughout the state - locally even of a very high risk.
Grilling at designated fireplaces is still permitted.
But on barbecue areas, care should be taken
to avoid flying sparks
and
to extinguish the fire properly before leaving
.
Smoking is prohibited in the forest.
Cigarettes thrown out of the car are also a forest fire risk.
DWD warns of forest fires "Be careful!"
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there is a high to very high risk of forest fires in the coming days.
“Be careful!” writes the DWD on Twitter.
For the prediction there is the forest fire hazard index (WBI) - which comprises five levels.
The DWD expressly points out that the forest fire hazard index represents the meteorological potential (calculated from precipitation, air temperature, wind speed) for the risk of a forest from fire.
It is not the local forest fire warning level set by state or local authorities.
DWD Forest Fire Danger Index
index | meaning |
|---|---|
1 (light yellow) | very low risk |
2 (yellow) | low risk |
3 (orange) | medium danger |
4 (red) | high risk |
5 (dark red) | very high risk |
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Danger of forest fires from broken glass?
DWD clears up myths
Broken glass in the forest is hideous.
But according to the DWD, forest fires caused by broken glass cannot trigger a devastating forest fire.
In a field test, the weather service has already taken on the "myth of forest fires caused by broken glass shards".
The result: shards of glass, which focus the light no matter how strongly, do not manage to ignite air-dry scattering materials under dry summer weather conditions.
In the field test, it was possible to use magnifying glasses to focus the sunlight so sharply that flames even formed.
However, when the magnifying glass was removed, the spruce litter used no longer burned.
The field trial took place in 2006.
But last summer, the DWD took up the topic again in its Topic of the Day section.
In this respect, the DWD weather experts are sticking to the findings.
Forest fires,
(ml)
