Extinguishing work by the fire brigade in a forest fire area. © Sebastian Kahnert/dpa/Symbolbild
Peatland fires are considered treacherous - they can spread underground. Since Wednesday morning, a forest and peat bog area near Göldenitz and Teschow south of Rostock has been burning. Minister of Agriculture Backhaus rushed to the site of the fire.
Göldenitz/Teschow - A forest and peat bog fire south of Rostock has been causing a large-scale operation by fire brigades in the region since Tuesday morning. In the afternoon, about 20 fire brigades with around 160 forces were on site near Göldenitz and Teschow, according to a spokeswoman for the Rostock district. The fire is not yet under control. However, localities are currently not threatened. According to reports, Teschow is most likely to be endangered.
Police asked residents to keep the windows and doors of their apartments and houses closed. Roads near the fire were closed.
Peatlands are considered particularly difficult to extinguish because the flames can spread below the surface. The fire brigade is apparently preparing for a longer operation. According to the district spokeswoman, the exchange of emergency services that had been there since the beginning was prepared in the afternoon.
Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) rushed to the scene of the fire in the afternoon. According to him, the forest area where it burns is 160 hectares. We now have to see how far the fire spreads. "We hope that it can be kept in check," Backhaus told the German Press Agency. It is a moist fen area with alders and ash trees as well as reed beds. A police helicopter was supposed to take off in the early evening and probe the situation from the air.
According to the district, the fire broke out on wasteland, later it spread to the nearby forest. Initially, there was no information on the cause of the fire. Dpa
