Large forest fire on the Saxony-Brandenburg border
Created: 06/24/2022Updated: 06/24/2022 15:43
A police car blocks the road in a forest fire area in Gohrischheide.
© Robert Michael/dpa
The fire brigade is deployed with a large contingent on the border of Saxony and Brandenburg.
Part of the area where the fire is raging is an old military training area.
Mühlberg/Zeithain – On the Saxon-Brandenburg state border near Mühlberg (Elbe-Elster district), a large area of forest, some of which is contaminated with ammunition, has been burning since Thursday.
The fire brigade is trying to get the situation under control with a fire-fighting helicopter, thermal imaging cameras and a large number of emergency services, said the Elbe-Elster district fire chief, Steffen Ludewig.
The fire was classified as a major damage situation.
The fire has spread to 350 hectares.
The wind is causing problems for the emergency services.
The fire broke out on Thursday.
In the meantime, the fire was under control, but then the wind fanned the flames again, said a spokesman for the rescue control center in Dresden.
The area was previously used for military purposes.
There are still a number of duds in the ground.
The Gohrischheide in the district of Meißen is a nature reserve that was set up on the former Zeithain military training area.
Ever-changing winds continued to fuel the fires.
"We are trying to organize and stabilize the situation," said district fire chief Ludewig.
In addition, fire brigades from the Spree-Neisse district were requested.
Emergency services from Cottbus were also on their way to the scene of the fire with three tank fire engines, a command vehicle and a crew transporter.
On Friday afternoon, the fire spread across the state border to Brandenburg.
Fanned by strong winds from the south, the flames ran towards the village of Neuburxdorf (Elbe-Elster), said a spokesman for the Lausitz rescue control center.
"There's a cornfield on fire now," he reported.
The fire brigade was there with around 100 forces in action.
In the district of Elbe-Elster Brandenburg there was level 4 of the forest fire danger on Friday, especially in northern Brandenburg some districts were at the highest level 5. The second highest danger level also applied in the district of Meissen.
dpa
