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Brandenburg: Flames in a wooded area near Jüterbog

Photo: Fabian Sommer / dpa

Near Jüterbog in Brandenburg, more than 326 hectares are now burning – a refreshing wind is fanning the flames even more. On Sunday, according to the fire brigade, it had been 150 hectares; the affected area has now more than doubled.

"The flames are running towards the protective strips, but the fire brigade has the situation under control there," said the head of the city's public order office, Christiane Lindner-Klopsch, on Monday. The firefighters on site are supplied with water from numerous wells and a large fire pond. The helpers are currently deployed with five vehicles and 14 emergency personnel and are supported by a neighbouring fire brigade and conservationists.

The protective strip in the southern area of the fire area had been widened so that no flames spread from the former military training area to surrounding villages. The training ground itself is loaded with ammunition. On Sunday evening and on Monday, ammunition was detonated several times on the fire area, Lindner-Klopsch reported.

The use of firefighting helicopters or clearance tanks could not be managed effectively because of the size of the forest fire area, she said. Therefore, the firefighters could not fight the fire directly, but only keep the protective strips free at the edge to protect the villages.

Geoecologist Kirsten Thonicke from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research believes this is the right approach. "In this constellation, I would advocate just watching there and deleting it from the sidelines," she told RBB Inforadio. In these cases, one must learn to live with fire, "and also to understand fire as a new beginning, for a regrowth of natural areas".

However, in view of the fire near Jüterbog, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection demanded that the ammunition in the endangered areas be cleared as quickly as possible. "In addition, the procurement of protected vehicles is necessary," said their forest fire expert Ulrich Cimolino, according to the press release.

In view of the persistent drought, forest protection officer Raimund Engel does not expect any relief in Brandenburg in the short term – despite expected precipitation. "The situation remains extremely dangerous."

Second highest warning level in Saxony

The risk of forest fires is also increasing in Saxony. In the northern parts of the districts of Görlitz, Bautzen and Meissen, as well as in Dresden, in the district of North Saxony and in the Leipzig region, the second-highest warning level 4 was in effect on Monday, as in Brandenburg. In some regions, entering the forest is already restricted, said Renke Coordes of Sachsenforst.

Here, however, the weather forecasts for the coming days indicate an easing of the situation. From Tuesday to the weekend, rather unstable weather with showers and thunderstorms is expected, said Jens Oehmichen, meteorologist at the German Weather Service. "By the weekend, every region in Saxony should have received precipitation." Even after that, no further dry period is expected.

In the Czech Republic, a forest fire near the municipality of Bublava in the border area with Saxony has been finally extinguished after one day. The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon and had covered an area of around four hectares of forest. The fire on the Königsberg near Schierke in Saxony-Anhalt has also been extinguished, according to the authorities.

ala/dpa