A sign from the Brandenburg State Forestry Agency with the forest fire danger levels is level 3 "medium danger". © Patrick Pleul/dpa
Brandenburg has the highest risk of forest fires of all states. The forest fire protection officer says how the season has gone so far and what fires there were at Pentecost.
Kleinmachnow - In Brandenburg, several smaller forest fires broke out at Pentecost. A burning larger pile of wood caused a forest fire near Kleinmachnow in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district. The burning area was between 100 and 200 square meters in size, Brandenburg's forest fire protection officer Raimund Engel told the German Press Agency on Monday. Because of the proximity to the highway 115, the fire brigade warned of possible visual obstruction.
In Lindow in the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin and in Finsterwalde in the district of Elbe-Elster, forest fires also broke out on Monday, according to the forest fire protection officer. A fire in Jämlitz in the district of Spree-Neisse on the border with Saxony on an area of around 200 square meters has already been extinguished.
Since the beginning of the wildfire season in early March, there have been 56 fires in the country, according to Engel. "That's still muted," he said. Last year, there were 142 forest fires at the end of May. Brandenburg was very lucky with the relatively cool spring.
The German Weather Service forecasts a high risk of forest fires for most locations in Brandenburg on Wednesday. "In any case, with every day that the drought lasts longer, the situation does not improve," Engel said.
The risk of forest fires in Brandenburg had decreased somewhat on Whit Monday compared to Sunday. According to the Ministry of the Environment, only the districts of Teltow-Fläming, Dahme-Spreewald and Elbe-Elster had the second highest danger level, which indicates a high danger. In the rest of the country, there was a moderate danger. The clouds have led to higher humidity, Engel said. "The humidity makes a big difference."
The Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment states the risk of a forest fire in five stages in order to sensitize the population. The German Weather Service provides the data. The calculation takes into account air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation rate and radiation of the atmosphere. According to the State Office for Forestry, Brandenburg is the state with the highest risk of forest fires nationwide, with extensive pine forests, low rainfall and light sandy soils. Dpa
