Fire continues to rage uncontrollably in Berlin's Grunewald: High risk of explosion, Avus closed
Created: 2022-08-04 12:33 p.m
By: Marc Dimitriu
Fire in Berlin's Grunewald continues to burn unhindered.
© INA FASSBENDER / AFP
In Berlin, a fire broke out in a storage area for police explosives.
There are numerous explosions.
The fire brigade can therefore hardly extinguish it.
Explosions at a police detonation site in Berlin: forest fire triggered.
Forest fire on 15,000 square meters: S7 and Avus motorway closed.
Berlin Grunewald: The fire brigade cannot count on the Bundeswehr firefighting helicopters.
Update from August 4, 12:26 p.m.
According to their own statements, the fire brigade has now identified three to four embers from the air.
"But we can't fight them yet because they are in this danger area," said a fire department spokesman for the n-tv broadcaster.
Because of the risk of explosion, the fire brigade has drawn a blocking circle of around 1000 meters around the fire.
A water supply has now been established around this radius.
Should the flames approach these areas, they could be fought quickly.
The radius could last beyond noon, possibly even into the evening, it said.
A Bundeswehr armored clearing vehicle and a robot could soon approach the detonation site and should give the emergency services a better overview from the ground.
Update from August 4, 11:58 a.m .:
It burns and burns in Grunewald.
The fire brigade cannot extinguish the fire.
The explosive material at the police blast site makes it impossible to get close to the fire.
Hours after the fire broke out, cracking noises could still be heard from the direction of the blasting site on Thursday morning.
Update from August 4, 11:15 a.m .:
The emergency services in the fire in Berlin’s Grunewald cannot count on a Bundeswehr firefighting helicopter.
Such is currently not available due to the forest fire in Saxony, said a fire department spokesman on Thursday in Berlin.
A police helicopter, on the other hand, was in action in the morning and was initially concerned with giving the forces an overview from the air.
Meanwhile, the fire continues to burn unabated.
Fire after explosions in Berlin: Autobahn Avus will probably remain closed all day
Update from August 4, 10:22 a.m .:
The Avus motorway in Berlin is expected to remain closed all day due to the fire in Grunewald.
The extinguishing work was difficult, said the police and fire brigade on Thursday morning.
Regional and S-Bahn services to the west were also interrupted.
The forest continues to burn uncontrollably on around one and a half hectares, said a fire department spokesman.
Black smoke stands over Berlin photographed from Berlin-Kreuzberg.
© Gerd Roth/dpa
Fire after explosions in Berlin: S7 and Avus motorway closed
Update from August 4th, 9.40 a.m .:
The Bundeswehr is also used in the fire in Berlin’s Grunewald.
As a spokesman for the fire brigade said, there are still large explosions on the square.
Currently, the emergency services have withdrawn to 1000 meters.
There are 100 firefighters and police officers on site.
Other forces and special forces of the Bundeswehr are requested.
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The railway announced on its website that both regional and long-distance traffic were interrupted.
The S7 doesn't work either.
The Avus motorway, Kronprinzessinnenweg and Havelchaussee are closed in this area.
Residents should keep windows and doors closed - ventilation and air conditioning should be turned off.
"We are currently in the consultation and observation phase," the spokesman said.
Mega fire in Berlin after explosions at the blast site - "steel beams weighing tons flown around the ears"
First report from August 4, 2022:
Berlin – Explosions at a police detonation site have triggered a large-scale operation by the fire brigade in Berlin's Grunewald.
A spokesman for the Berlin fire brigade told the AFP news agency that there was a fire in an area of 15,000 square meters on the blasting site and in the adjacent forest.
Due to ongoing explosions at the blasting site, the fire brigade have not yet been able to start extinguishing.
Berlin: ordnance and fireworks stored - "The situation is unclear"
Ordnance and fireworks were stored at the police detonation site, the spokesman said.
“The situation is unclear.
The forest continues to burn uncontrollably.” He called on the population to avoid the area as far as possible.
According to the
picture
, the first alarm was at 3:30 a.m.
The first emergency services reported "steel beams weighing tons that blew up in their faces there".
A fire department spokesman told ntv.
120 firefighters are on site and a police helicopter is being used to assess the situation, the spokesman said.
The fire brigade is now preparing a so-called locking position.
The aim is to fight the fire at a distance of 1000 meters from the blast site.
The firefighters cannot get any closer so as not to endanger themselves from further explosions.
The numerous explosions can be clearly heard on a Twitter video.
Explosions in Berlin: Office warns the population of forest fires and fire gases
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance declared early in the morning that "the forest and a storage facility for ammunition found by the Berlin police" were on fire.
"Explosion noises and nuisance from fire gas are to be expected." According to the police, it is not yet clear how the fire started.
The extreme heat and drought could spread the fire further and also cause problems for the emergency services.
(md with afp)
