Forest fire: armored recovery vehicle on the way to Gohrischheide

Created: 06/28/2022, 12:39 p.m

A fire engine of the fire brigade drives to an operation.

© Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa/Symbolbild

Precipitation initially defused the situation in the Saxon forest fire area of ​​​​Gohrischheide (Meissen district) on Tuesday night.

"The situation is currently relaxed," said a fire department spokesman for the German Press Agency.

There are still embers and open fires, the emergency services are busy with residual extinguishing work.

"It's not as bad as yesterday, we have everything under control."

Dresden/Zeithain – Meanwhile, a recovery tank requested by the Bundeswehr is on its way from Gera (Thuringia), it is expected in Zeithain in the early afternoon, as an army spokesman in Dresden told the German Press Agency.

The Dachs-type armored engineer is scheduled to start work on Tuesday and cut a twelve-kilometer swath between two endangered areas of forest that are contaminated with ammunition.

While the firefighters are currently working at a distance because of the risk of explosion, an armored forest moving machine is clearing the dangerous area and is already cutting aisles.

"She has 4000 liters on board, which we fill up," said the fire department spokesman.

Heat and shifting wind had repeatedly intensified the extinguishing work in the forest on the border with Brandenburg over the course of Monday.

The fire had jumped out in several places along the paths that closed off the area formerly used as a military training area.

Three firefighting helicopters helped stop it.

The operations management had been moved from the forest to Lichtensee, a district of Wülknitz, because of the smoke.

The major fire broke out in Gohrischheide last Thursday and spread towards Mühlberg (Brandenburg) on ​​Friday.

At times, more than 800 hectares were in flames, including around 500 hectares on the Saxon side.

dpa