Fire in the Harz Mountains triggers disaster: Firefighter seriously injured - situation currently under control
Created: 09/10/2022 04:52
By: Bettina Menzel, Jennifer Lanzinger
Forest fire on the Brocken: Firefighters have been fighting the flames since Saturday.
© Federal Police
Emergency services in the Harz Mountains in Saxony-Anhalt have been fighting the flames for days.
The fire is currently eating its way underground.
The news ticker.
Forest fire
on the
Brocken
: emergency services in the Harz National Park are hoping for rain.
Firefighter
seriously injured
during extinguishing work on Monday
: with burn injuries in the hospital.
Major fire on the
Brocken in the Harz mountains
: still not under control on the third day.
Disaster
declared: forest fire in the Harz district is spreading.
This live ticker for the
forest fire in the Harz National Park
has ended.
Update from September 7th, 9:22 a.m
.: Firefighters have been fighting the flames on the Brocken for days.
Seven fire-fighting helicopters and two fire-fighting aircraft from Italy are in constant use.
The fire in the Harz National Park is largely under control, but it is spreading underground.
It continues to eat its way through the forest on the ground.
160 hectares should be affected, it was said on Tuesday.
However, the situation will be reassessed on Wednesday.
Forest fire on the Brocken - emergency services hope for rain
In addition, 60 firefighters are to be dropped off by helicopter at the source of the fire - the high plateau on Königsberg - in order to extinguish the fire on site.
The use of the ground troops will be increased, reports the MDR.
300 emergency services are in action and are also hoping for rain.
According to the fire chief, the extinguishing work could drag on until next week.
The cause of the major fire is still unclear.
There have been several eruption sites.
Hundreds of emergency services have been fighting the flames in the national park since Saturday.
Forest fire on the Brocken: Firefighters have been fighting the flames since Saturday.
© Federal Police
Update from September 6th, 9.45 a.m .:
Firefighters brought the major fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains under control.
According to the authorities, the fire that has been raging since Saturday has not spread further.
That said a spokesman for the Harz district on Tuesday morning in Wernigerode.
However, 150 hectares of forest are still affected by the fire.
Fire brigades are still on duty.
According to this, helicopters resumed extinguishing work from the air at 7.30 a.m. in the morning.
According to the spokesman, fire-fighting aircraft are also expected.
A total of seven helicopters and two firefighting aircraft are still involved in the work.
Firefighting water is to be taken from Lake Concordia.
The body of water therefore remains closed to visitors, as it was the day before.
Nevertheless, on Monday there were onlookers, as the spokesman said.
This led to disabilities and was “a bit difficult” for the emergency services.
Update from September 5, 9:27 p.m .:
A firefighter was seriously injured on Monday during the extinguishing work in the Harz National Park.
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Firefighter seriously injured during extinguishing work: with burn injuries in the hospital
Emergency services have been fighting the forest fire on the Brocken with two firefighting aircraft and various helicopters since Monday from the air.
A firefighter was seriously injured during the extinguishing work when a technical device exploded, as a spokesman for the Harz district announced on Monday evening.
He was flown to the Bergmannstrost Halle burn center in a rescue helicopter.
So far, according to the information, 2.8 million liters of water have been distributed over the fire.
The firefighting from the air is having an effect, "extinguishing success is achieved," reported the district spokesman.
Planes and helicopters have also been ordered for Tuesday, the disaster continues.
There are currently around 300 emergency services from the Harz district, the Goslar district and the Salzland district on site, with reinforcements from civil protection coming for the night.
As of this morning, the fire is still not under control.
Lower Saxony, Braunlage on Monday (September 5th): A Harzer Schmalspurbahn HSB with extinguishing tanks.
Hundreds of emergency services are fighting a large forest fire in the Harz mountains.
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++
Agriculture Minister of Saxony-Anahlt thanks Italy for support with fire-fighting aircraft
Update from September 5th, 4:51 p.m .:
Sven Schulze (CDU), Minister of Economic Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, expressly thanked on Monday for the help of the two Italian fire-fighting aircraft, which were on Sunday on the away from Rome in the direction of the Harz Mountains.
"At Lake Concordia, they each absorb 6,000 liters of water in order to throw it over the forest fire on the Brocken.
Thank you very much,” the minister wrote on Twitter.
Overall, the forest fire has an area of about 150 hectares and is about ten times larger than the last fire in the Harz Mountains about three weeks ago.
Big fire in the Harz National Park: A total of 150 hectares of forest burn
Update from September 5, 3:11 p.m .:
The major fire in the Harz National Park was not under control on Monday either.
A total of around 300 firefighters from Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony were on duty, as the district office of the Harz district in Halberstadt announced.
Seven fire-fighting helicopters and two fire-fighting planes from Italy were also in constant use to bring the fire under control.
A total of around 150 hectares of forest burned in an area below the Brocken that was difficult to access.
The fire also spread to a moor on Monday night.
According to district fire chief Kai-Uwe Lohse, the aim of the aerial extinguishing action was to "fix" this fire.
The Concordiasee in the Harz foothills of Saxony-Anhalt was closed to public traffic on Monday morning so that the planes could take on extinguishing water.
According to the information, around 30,000 liters of water were thrown onto the fire site with each extinguishing flight.
Residential areas are still not threatened, as the NDR reports.
It was only about three weeks ago that there was a fire in the Harz mountains near the Brocken, but at that time it was in a much smaller area of around 13 hectares.
Major fire on the Brocken in the Harz: Still not under control on the third day
Update from September 5th, 9.25 a.m
.: The major fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains is still not under control on the third day.
That said a spokesman for the Harz district on Monday morning in Wernigerode.
In some places, the fire is said to have spread further.
In the morning, the district announced that the fire had not spread further during the night.
The authorities therefore continue to assume a burning area totaling around 150 hectares (1.5 square kilometers).
Fire-fighting planes and helicopters should take off in the morning.
To do this, the time window for the water drops would have to be coordinated, said the spokesman.
Therefore, a second technical operations management from Goslar was set up.
According to the district administration, the federal police and armed forces are supporting the refueling of aircraft with mobile filling stations.
The Braunschweig fire brigade and Braunschweig airport refuel the fire-fighting aircraft.
Forest fire in the Harz Mountains continues to spread at breakneck speed
Update from September 4th, 5:29 p.m .:
Trees burning brightly, a blocked peak in the national park and help from abroad: by late Sunday afternoon the affected area, on which mainly dead spruce trees are, was around 150 hectares (1, 5 square kilometers) has grown, the Harz district announced.
A good 60 hectares had previously been mentioned (see first report).
The situation is steadily worsening.
Planes from Italy should help with extinguishing work: forest fire in the Harz Mountains continues to rage
Update from September 4th, 3:31 p.m.:
Italy sent two fire-fighting planes to Germany to help fight the forest fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains.
The Canadair CL 415 machines took off in Rome on Sunday afternoon and made their way to Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport, as announced by the Italian civil defense.
The planes of the Italian fire brigade are on their way to the forest fire in the Harz Mountains.
The machines can absorb and discharge more than 6000 liters of water.
They had been requested as part of the European aid project "RescEU-IT" via the central coordination office in Brussels.
Italy regularly provides its EU partners with planes and pilots to fight forest fires.
The forest fire had recently spread further below the Brocken summit in the Harz Mountains.
The district administrator declared the emergency.
Five fire-fighting helicopters and more than 300 emergency services fought the flames, and a good 50 police officers secured the area.
Evacuation successful: Tourists brought to safety with buses and Brockenbahn
Update from September 4th, 2:04 p.m .:
The fire in the Harz National Park broke out on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. on the so-called Goetheweg near the Goethebahnhof vantage point, a police spokesman said.
The so-called Goetheweg to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park.
Some of the hikers, day-trippers and hotel guests there were taken to safety by buses from the summit because of the heavy smoke, but some were also transported down to the valley with the so-called Brockenbahn.
The summit is evacuated.
Passengers of the Harz narrow-gauge railway and visitors to the Brocken get on the train.
© Matthias Bein/dpa +++ dpa picture radio
The plateau of the mountain, popular with tourists, had already been completely evacuated by Saturday evening.
Among other things, there is a hotel and the Brocken station of the Harz narrow-gauge railways on the summit.
A spokeswoman for the city of Wernigerode announced on Saturday that the evacuation of tourists from the summit was going smoothly.
The Brockenbahn has stopped passenger operations.
"The tank wagons are now bringing extinguishing water to the fire brigade forces," the spokeswoman continued.
A forest fire broke out near Schierke at the foot of the Brocken on August 11th
Passengers of the Harzer Schmalspurbahn HSB stand at the Brocken train station on Saturday (September 3rd) and wait to be taken to safety.
A forest fire had broken out below the top of the mountain.
© Matthias Bein/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++
Disaster declared: Forest fire in the Harz district not under control
First report:
Wernigerode – Numerous forest fires had caused a stir during the summer, and emergency services had fought the flames in many places in Germany.
Only a few weeks ago the Grunewald had burned in Berlin.
Now even a disaster has been declared due to a rapidly spreading fire.
The fire that broke out in the Harz district is currently not under control.
Fire in the Harz Mountains triggers disaster: 300 emergency services - support requested from abroad
District Administrator Thomas Balcerowski (CDU) declared a disaster on Sunday morning because of the rapidly spreading fire below the Brocken summit in the Harz Mountains.
Wernigerode's city spokeswoman Ariane Hofmann announced that the district of Harz assumes that extinguishing work will take several days.
The fire that broke out on Saturday was initially not under control on Sunday and raged over an area of around 62 hectares.
Above all, dead spruce stands burned.
Accordingly, there are currently five firefighting helicopters and more than 300 emergency services on site, and around 50 police forces are securing the area around the Brocken.
This area is currently closed to visitors.
Support is also to be sought from abroad, two fire-fighting aircraft from other European countries are expected to arrive on Sunday.
A no-fly zone for civil air traffic has been set up within a radius of 40 kilometers on the Brocken.
The town of Schierke, which belongs to Wernigerode, is not at risk, it said.
Brocken in the Harz Mountains: Fire causes large-scale operation - flames not yet under control
The Harz narrow-gauge railways do not go up the 1141-meter-high mountain on Sunday.
As the railway company announced on its website, there is limited train service between Wernigerode and Drei Annen Hohne.
The fire broke out on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. on the so-called Goetheweg near the Goethebahnhof vantage point.
The Goetheweg to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park.
It was only in the summer that a forest fire in Saxon Switzerland pushed hundreds of emergency services to their limits.
