Forest fires in Germany: Four injured in Saxon Switzerland, still embers in Brandenburg
Created: 07/31/2022, 04:48 am
By: Bettina Menzel, Jennifer Lanzinger
Forest fires are currently raging in Brandenburg and in Saxon Switzerland.
Saxony and the Czech Republic are now fighting the flames together.
The news ticker.
Forest fire
in the Elbe-Elster district
in
Brandenburg
: situation under control, but the number of emergency services is being increased.
Forest fire
in
Saxon Switzerland
: four injured in the extinguishing operation.
Area and forest fire
in
Bavaria
: 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia.
This news ticker on the fires in Brandenburg, the Czech Republic and Saxon Switzerland is continuously updated.
Update from July 30, 7 p.m.:
There is no real relaxation in sight in the devastating forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
“After light rain in the operational area in the early morning, there was a brief but heavy shower in the early afternoon.
The fire brigade comrades are still hoping for heavier rainfall with a noticeable impact on fire behavior and the general situation," said the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office on Saturday afternoon in Pirna.
On the Czech side, too, the fire brigade is still in constant use.
In contrast, the situation in the forest fire area in southern Brandenburg eased.
560 emergency services fought the fire in Saxon Switzerland on Saturday.
This number is expected to be maintained throughout the weekend.
There are now 13 helicopters on site for fire-fighting flights.
In addition, quads have been ordered, with which the fire-fighting crews can be supplied more easily and quickly, it said.
Update from July 30, 3:43 p.m .:
According to official information, the situation in the forest fire area in the Brandenburg Elbe-Elster district on the border with Saxony has now eased.
As the administrative staff of the district announced, there are still individual embers on an area of 500 hectares that have to be extinguished.
On Friday evening, July 29, 2022, 250 emergency services were still fighting the flames of the fire that broke out earlier in the week and had spread to around 800 hectares
Forest fires in Saxon Switzerland: Four emergency services injured
Update from July 30, 2:28 p.m .:
As the district office of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains now announced, “[t]he weather radar […] also shows rather restrained precipitation, so that the emergency services assume that the rain is unlikely to bring any noticeable relaxation district spokesman Thomas Kunz predicted at noon that the rainy area would possibly completely pass Saxon Switzerland.
At the fire brigade base in Bad Schandau, near the Saxon Switzerland National Park, firefighters and equipment are dispatched.
© IMAGO/Sylvio Dittrich
The forces fighting the flames on the approximately 150 hectare forest area have now received support from a total of 13 helicopters for fire-fighting flights, as well as quads, with which the fire-fighting squads can be supplied more easily and quickly.
According to the authorities, four firefighters have been injured in the operation so far.
Two of them had to be hospitalized.
There have been no injuries among the population so far.
also read
After the body was found in Hesse: the police confirmed the death of missing Ayleen (14)
Trigema-Boss Grupp: Children Bonita and Wolfgang Jr. now over 30 - they talk about their growing up in a different way
Bohemian Switzerland: Fire brigade strengthens emergency services - "Will actively go into embers"
Update from July 30, 12:40 p.m .:
The forest fire in the Czech National Park Bohemian Switzerland is raging, as confirmed by satellite images, over a total area of 10.6 square kilometers.
The fire, believed to have been caused by human negligence, is believed to be one of the largest fires in the country's history.
In order to keep onlookers away, the park area has now been closed over a large area.
As a spokesman announced, 220 additional forces have now been brought together from all over the Czech Republic to strengthen the fire brigade, so that the number of helpers has risen to 650.
These "will actively go into the embers, pour water over them and hack up the ground," said fire department spokesman Lukas Marvan on Czech television.
The fire-fighting work is supported by eight helicopters and five fire-fighting aircraft.
Forest fires in Saxon Switzerland: disaster alert in two cities
Update from July 30, 8:45 a.m .:
The situation in the Saxon Switzerland National Park remains tense, the light rain is “not enough,” said the spokesman for the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district, Thomas Kunz, on the morning of Saturday, July 30.
According to satellite data, the fire that broke out last weekend in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic and then spread to the Saxon Switzerland National Park has now engulfed an area of around 150 hectares.
Disaster alert applies in Bad Schandau and in Sebnitz.
A helicopter with Michael Kretschmer (CDU), Prime Minister of Saxony, on board takes off for a reconnaissance flight over the forest fires in the Saxon Switzerland National Park on the banks of the Elbe.
© picture alliance/dpa |
Sebastian Kahnert
Reconnaissance flights are to clarify in the morning whether a fire that also broke out on the evening of Friday, July 29, in the area of the so-called Partschenhörner on the Czech border could be successfully extinguished.
Prime Minister Kretschmer himself took part in a reconnaissance flight on Friday.
According to Kunz, around 350 emergency services are currently fighting the flames;
two more fire-fighting helicopters are expected over the course of Saturday, so that a total of ten machines are in use.
Forest fires in Saxon Switzerland: Kretschmer travels to the affected area – "It will take weeks"
Update from July 29, 10 p.m.:
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer assumes that fighting the forest fire in Saxon Switzerland will take a long time.
"It will take days and weeks before we can talk about relaxation," said the CDU politician during a visit to Bad Schandau on Friday evening.
The head of government spoke of a "great and difficult task".
He had previously flown a helicopter over the forest fire area to get an overview.
Kretschmer, like Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU), had canceled his vacation for this.
The operation will cost a lot of money, Kretschmer spoke of "many millions of euros." He assured the affected regions in the national park and in northern Saxony financial help - also for reconstruction.
At a time when it is getting drier and drier, one must also talk about the future of the national parks, according to Kretschmer.
Among other things, aisles, water management in the forests and the removal of dead wood must be discussed.
In addition, Saxony's head of government thanked the fire brigade, federal police and armed forces for their days of work.
If they stopped working, everything would burn down, emphasized Kretschmer.
"It's a question of strength, who has the stamina, who gives up first." The federal government has also promised to continue to support fire-fighting helicopters.
"The only resource that is really useful here."
The fire brigade and civil protection workers have been in suspense for days in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains by a devastating fire.
A second rages on the Saxon-Brandenburg state border.
Forest fires in Saxon Switzerland: the situation remains tense
Update from July 29, 6:01 p.m .:
The situation remains tense in the forest fire areas in Brandenburg and Saxony.
At least no major new fires broke out on Friday.
Hundreds of emergency services are on site, supported by police helicopters, fire fighting vehicles and water cannons.
The number of firefighters should be increased again.
In Saxony, however, the helpers are hoping for rain, which was predicted for Saturday.
But there was also good news: Apparently, the forest fire in Saxon Switzerland on the German side was less severe than previously assumed.
“By evaluating the satellite data, the areas of the fire could be narrowed down.
After that, a total of 150 hectares was found to be affected,” said the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office on Friday.
So far, the authorities had assumed that the fire had spread over an area of 250 hectares.
Saxony's Prime Minister Kretschmer cancels vacation because of forest fires
Update from July 29, 3:27 p.m .:
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) is canceling his vacation because of the forest fires in the country and wants to return to Dresden on Friday.
As government spokesman Ralph Schreiber announced, Kretschmer would like to travel with Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) to Saxon Switzerland, which was affected by a devastating forest fire, in the late afternoon in order to get an idea of the extent of the fire on site.
Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) is canceling his vacation because of the forest fires and wants to return to Dresden on Friday (archive photo).
© Katerina Sulova/IMAGO
Because of forest fire in Saxon Switzerland: The city of Sebnitz is now also on the disaster alert
Update from July 29, 1:30 p.m .:
Because of the forest fire in the rear part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the city of Sebnitz now also has a disaster alarm.
The district office of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains justified the step on Friday with the fact that fire nests had been discovered on the other side of the Kirnitzsch river.
"The fire has thus reached the territory of the large district town of Sebnitz." The forest in the rear Kirnitzschtal, the border region to the Czech Republic, is affected: "There is currently no risk of spreading to adjacent houses."
With the triggering of the disaster alarm, the emergency services can be better coordinated and access to other emergency services for extinguishing work can be ensured, it said.
At the same time, the district office advised caution in the case of respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis or asthma.
In the next few days, those affected should be prepared for increased strain on the respiratory tract from smoke and avoid physical exertion outdoors as far as possible.
"Sufficient emergency medication should be kept available for a possible deterioration in the state of health," recommended general practitioner Ina Bialk.
Forest fires in Saxon Switzerland - planes from Sweden expected
Update from July 29, 11:10 a.m
.: The situation in Saxon Switzerland remains tense, more fire nests were discovered on Thursday evening (see previous update).
As the portal
sächsische.de
reports, emergency services should now also receive support from Sweden.
As the portal reports, citing broadcaster CT24, two planes from Sweden are expected in the Czech Republic.
These should help fight the fire on the Czech side from Friday afternoon.
The fire in Bohemian Switzerland spread to Saxon Switzerland in Saxony days ago.
The two Italian aircraft, which had previously helped fight the fire, are now said to be needed in Italy.
Emergency services are likely to have high hopes for the rain.
Weather experts expect heavy rain and thunderstorms for Friday and the weekend.
Forest fires are raging in Saxon Switzerland: More fire nests discovered
Update from July 29, 8:06 a.m .:
The emergency services in the Saxon Switzerland National Park are fighting against the further spread of the forest fire.
On Thursday evening, fire nests were also discovered and extinguished on the other side of the Kirnitzsch river, said the spokesman for the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district, Thomas Kunz, on Friday morning.
The firefighters had actually hoped that the Kirnitzsch would act as a natural barrier for the fire.
More than 220 firefighters battled the blaze in the morning.
During the day, other emergency services from other parts of the country should arrive.
Seven fire-fighting helicopters are in use, and two helicopters also carry out reconnaissance flights with thermal imaging cameras.
At the weekend, two more helicopters are to be added to extinguish the fire.
In addition, satellite images would be evaluated.
According to the information, about 250 hectares of forest are on fire.
Forest fires in Germany: sea of flames rages in Saxon Switzerland - 400 emergency services in Brandenburg
Update from July 28, 10:27 p.m .:
The forest fire that broke out in southern Brandenburg on Monday keeps the fire department busy.
An additional fire protection unit has now been requested.
The Elbe-Elster district announced on Thursday evening that the number of emergency services in the area near the state border with Saxony rose from 300 to 400 on Friday.
Forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in Brandenburg: the situation is under control, but the number of emergency services is being increased
With the fire in southern Brandenburg, the situation on site is under control, but the number of emergency services has been increased.
"The current challenge in the major fire in Kölsa-Rehfeld is still to track down embers in good time and then prevent open fire from developing," said a spokesman for the district in the evening.
This happened several times during the day.
Overall the situation is stable.
"But there is still no reason to give the all-clear."
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland: Saxony and the Czech Republic fight fire together
Update from July 28, 8:22 p.m .:
Saxony and the Czech Republic are fighting forest fires together.
In order to enable cross-border use of fire-fighting helicopters, both countries had granted each other overflight rights of up to 20 kilometers over their territories, said Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) on Thursday.
Germany and the Czech Republic are therefore intensifying the joint fight against forest fires in Saxon Switzerland and in the neighboring country.
Now German pilots could also take water from the Elbe in the Czech Republic, it said on Thursday.
Pilots from both countries could communicate via a closed radio frequency band released by NATO, which would allow operations to be better coordinated.
View of the forest fires in the Saxon Switzerland National Park from a Federal Police helicopter.
The Czech Republic and Saxony grant each other overflight rights to fight the forest fires together.
© Robert Michael/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++
Fires in Saxony are spreading, fires are under control in Brandenburg
Update from July 28, 6:23 p.m .:
Dense smoke is currently over the Elbe valley in Saxon Switzerland.
The extinguishing work is currently ongoing in both Brandenburg and Saxony.
The fires are spreading in Saxony and are currently under control in Brandenburg.
A cargo helicopter from Austria flies with an external fire-fighting water container to extinguish a forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
Dense smoke is currently hanging over the Elbe valley.
© Robert Michael/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++
Forest expert explains the background: You cannot extinguish a forest fire with fire-fighting aircraft
Even if the flames in Saxony and Brandenburg should have been extinguished, the danger has apparently not yet been banned.
A forest fire expert assumes that rockfalls could follow after the fires.
"I fear that the fires in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains will lead to dramatic soil erosion and rockfalls.
There's hardly any humus there, the trees are on rock," said Michael Müller, professor of silviculture and forest protection at the Technical University of Dresden, the newspapers of the Bayern media group on Thursday.
The expert is in favor of a differentiated approach to extinguishing forest fires: He advocated not always extinguishing forest fires in all areas.
In a German national park, every fire slows down natural development by decades.
The situation in the pine forests in Brandenburg, for example, is different.
“There are areas with a high ammunition load there.
Here you have to decide whether you should put out fires or give up and let it go.”
The expert also explained the background to firefighting.
You can't put out a forest fire with fire-fighting aircraft, says Müller.
"We mainly throw the water on the treetops and are talking about one to two liters of water per square meter."
“The heat and noise level of the fire then abruptly decrease.
Then the fire brigades can attack the crucial ground fire.”
Wildfire and forest fire in Bavaria: 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia
Update from July 28, 4:22 p.m .:
Now it is also burning in Lower Franconia in Bavaria.
A surface and forest fire employed numerous emergency services on Thursday afternoon in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia.
A spokesman for the integrated control center said that ten fire brigades and the Bundeswehr fire brigade of the Hammelburg military training area were busy with extinguishing work in the Bad Kissingen district.
The first estimates by the firefighters on site were that the fire was around 600 meters wide.
The cause of the fire was initially unclear.
Forest fire situation in Saxon Switzerland and Brandenburg still tense
Update from July 28, 3:30 p.m .:
The forest fire situation in Saxon Switzerland is still tense, and emergency services are also on duty in Brandenburg.
The danger of further forest fires in southern Brandenburg has not yet been banned.
The fire flared up again in the south of the Kölsa-Rehfeld operation area due to hot embers, the Elbe-Elster district announced on Thursday afternoon.
A Bundeswehr helicopter fights the flames from the air with water tanks that can hold up to 5,000 liters.
The water is drawn from the nearby Kiebitzsee, which is currently closed to bathers.
On the ground, a Bundeswehr armored personnel carrier provided support to create paths for the fire-fighting crews through the impassable terrain and to cut aisles so that the flames could no longer spread so quickly.
Another tank is expected for Friday.
Around 300 emergency services from several parts of Brandenburg are fighting the flames.
The situation in the operational area of the city of Falkenberg is under control, it was said on Thursday morning.
According to the administrative staff of the district, the situation cannot be managed with one's own strength alone.
Therefore, emergency services from other parts of the state were requested.
Bundeswehr helicopters land on the banks of the Elbe to help fight the fires in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
© Robert Michael/dpa/archive image
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland - Shifting wind aggravates the situation
Update from July 28, 2:35 p.m .:
The situation in the Saxon Switzerland National Park continues to worsen.
Shifting winds from the direction of the Czech Republic have exacerbated the situation in the forest fire area in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
The fight against the fire is currently aimed at preventing further spread of flames from the neighboring country, as the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office announced on Thursday afternoon.
"The emergency services are doing their utmost to further contain the fire." The district office described the development of the fire as dynamic.
The flames have been raging on the border with the Czech Republic since the weekend. Around 340 firefighters from the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district and other districts were on site at noon.
Dozens of workers from various aid organizations take care of the logistics and supplies.
The emergency services are supported by eight fire-fighting helicopters, three other machines for reconnaissance flights and two water cannons from the state police.
According to the district office, a section of the Elbe is still closed until 10 p.m. on Thursday for water extraction by fire-fighting helicopters.
According to the information, around 250 hectares of forest are currently on fire.
"The situation is tense," said the spokesman for the affected district, Thomas Kunz.
So far, however, no towns or individual buildings have been evacuated, and there is currently no danger to the population.
According to Kunz, however, there are corresponding concepts that could be implemented quickly.
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland: Flames continue to rage - "The situation is becoming more tense"
Update from July 28, 12:10 p.m .:
The flames in Saxon Switzerland continue to spread rapidly, Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster has promised any help needed.
"The forces fight beyond the exhaustion limit".
The location is unique and has never existed before.
"The mission demands everything, and the Ministry of the Interior will support it to the best of its ability."
According to Schuster, the first of the three fire-fighting helicopters ordered will be ready in Saxony next year.
He also urged everyone to observe the ban on entering the forests.
The situation on site is still tense, the flames had spread further in the past few hours (see original message below).
This was announced by a spokesman for the district office of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains.
"It looks like the situation could get worse, things are getting more tense."
Forest fires in Germany: sea of flames continues to rage in Saxon Switzerland
Original message:
Falkenberg – Two large forest fires are currently causing a large-scale operation in Brandenburg and Saxon Switzerland, and hundreds of emergency services are still fighting the flames.
While the situation in southern Brandenburg apparently eased again overnight, the flames in Saxon Switzerland continue to spread.
Forest fire near Falkenberg (Brandenburg): situation under control - numerous embers under observation
According to the district, the large forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in southern Brandenburg has eased overnight, and the flames are currently under control in the area of the city of Falkenberg.
There are currently no open fires.
However, the situation in Brandenburg remains dynamic.
The fire had flared up on Wednesday evening.
According to the information, numerous embers with temperatures between 40 and 180 degrees are currently under observation.
They would have to be kept in check, the administrative staff said.
Around 320 workers from several parts of Brandenburg are busy with the extinguishing work.
To further contain the fire, a Bundeswehr armored personnel carrier arrived during the night, which created aisles in the area during the day.
Unterstützung bekommen die Einsatzkräfte erneut von Bundeswehr und Landespolizei aus der Luft. Nachdem es am Mittwoch hieß, dass die Löschhubschrauber der Bundeswehr vorerst nicht mehr gebraucht werden, leisten am Donnerstag Transporthubschrauber mit Wasserladungen aus dem Kiebitzsee wieder Hilfe. Das Baden im See wurde nach einer zwischenzeitlichen Freigabe wieder untersagt. Zuletzt loderte das Feuer auf einer Fläche von rund 500 Hektar.
Waldbrand in Tschechien: Lage in der Böhmischen Schweiz stabil
Und auch in der Sächsischen Schweiz und in Tschechien kämpfen Einsatzkräfte unermüdlich gegen die Flammen an. Wie die dpa unter Berufung auf einen Feuerwehrsprecher im Gespräch mit der Agentur CTK berichtet, sei die Lage im tschechischen Nationalpark Böhmische Schweiz aktuell stabil - jedoch angespannt. Die betroffene Fläche liegt weiter bei rund zehn Quadratkilometern. Fast 500 Feuerwehrleute sind bei einem der größten Waldbrände in der Geschichte des Landes im Einsatz, um die Flammen zu bekämpfen.
Wie die Nationalparkverwaltung bekanntgab, wurden das Prebischtor und die daneben liegende Ausflugsgaststätte Falkennest bisher von den Flammen verschont. Das einzigartige Felsentor aus Sandstein gilt als Wahrzeichen der Böhmischen Schweiz. Weitere Ortschaften wie die Gemeinde Janov nahe der Grenze zu Deutschland mussten anders als zunächst erwartet nicht geräumt werden.
Rund 450 Menschen hatten seit Beginn des Brandes am Sonntag ihre Häuser und Wohnungen verlassen müssen. Sieben Hubschrauber sind vor Ort, um Löschwasser abzuwerfen. Inzwischen trafen zudem zwei Löschflugzeuge vom Typ Canadair CL-415 aus Italien auf einem Flugplatz bei Prag ein. Die Hilfe erfolgt im Rahmen des Katastrophenschutzverfahrenes der EU, das „rescEU“ genannt wird.
Waldbrand in der Sächsischen Schweiz breitet sich weiter aus - Hunderte Einsatzkräfte im Einsatz
In Deutschland, in der Sächsischen Schweiz dagegen, breitet sich das Feuer weiterhin aus. Das berichtet die dpa unter Berufung auf einen Pressesprecher des Landratsamtes Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Thomas Kunze, am Donnerstagmorgen. Weiter nördlich vom bisherigen Brandgebiet zwischen Großem Winterberg und Großem Zschandbach habe das Feuer die Grenze von Böhmen in die Sächsische Schweiz überschritten. Derzeit seien 275 Einsatzkräfte weiter bemüht, die Feuer einzudämmen. Diese Zahl der Einsatzkräfte werde im Tagesverlauf weiter aufgestockt. Es seien mittlerweile acht Löschhubschrauber im Einsatz. Derzeit stehen den Angaben nach etwa 250 Hektar Waldfläche in Flammen.
The fire broke out in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic over the weekend and spread to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday.
In Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland, a disaster alarm has been in effect since Tuesday.
Tourists should avoid the area.
In the district of Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge, the forests may no longer be entered until further notice.
According to the authorities on Wednesday evening, there is currently no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring towns.
