In various parts of Germany, the fire brigades are out to forest and wildfires. Affected were several federal states, including Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Hamburg. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern burned near Weberin east of Schwerin two hectares of forest. The cause is according to police in Ludwigslust a torn high-voltage line. About 50 firefighters were on duty.

In the Saxon Saale-Orla district district administrator Thomas Fügmann has proclaimed the disaster case because of a forest fire that can not be controlled. A two-day-long major fire on the Heinrichstein is, according to the management of operations "currently not get a grip". Currently there are about 13 hectares of forest in flames, people, residential buildings or other buildings are not yet in danger. The wind keeps refilling the fire.

Because of acute forest fire danger prevails in many regions of Germany now the highest warning level. The Ministry of the Environment in Brandenburg called the level 5 nationwide on Tuesday. The forest fire hazard index of the German Weather Service (DWD) also marked the south of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the northern Saxony, the east of Saxony-Anhalt and the region around the Lower Saxon Celle as very much at risk.

In Spremberg, near Cottbus , 4.5 hectares were in flames at night, as forest fire protection officer Raimund Engel said. The fire was reported on Easter Monday shortly before midnight and cleared in the early hours of the morning.

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Stage 5 of 5: Threatening forest fires in German forests

The soils in Germany are once again drier this spring than at the beginning of last year, as the German Weather Service announced. DWD expert Udo Busch said: "If the dry weather continues in the coming months, the drought of 2018 could be repeated or even surpassed."

Wind and dry plant remains from 2018 heat fire

Already in 2018, there had been a long-lasting severe drought in Germany, which caused farmers and allowed many waters to dry out. According to DWD, before the spring of 2018, abundant rainfall in the fall and winter at the beginning of the growing season had created a buffer. This is not the case this year. Lower water reservoirs in the ground are therefore currently less well filled. In the event of prolonged drought, this would also affect plants and trees whose roots reach deeper soil layers.

Problems with fires already existed in Bavaria . In Hersbruck, east of Nuremberg, a hectare of wood burned on Easter Monday. Because the area was difficult to access, farmers had their liquid manure barrels for water transport provided, said Kreisbrandrat Norbert Thiel. At Easter, some Easter fires had to be canceled due to forest fire danger.

In Lower Saxony, the fire department is still busy after two large peat bogs with extinguishing. The fire near Vechta , which broke out on Easter Monday, was almost completely extinguished, said a police spokeswoman. For extinguishing are still around 150 firefighters in action. The day before, it had been up to 400. It burned on several hectares of land.

In the north of Saxony , some forests may not be entered for the time being because of the sometimes very high forest fire danger. According to DWD meteorologist Florian Engelmann, an average of just 2.1 liters of precipitation per square meter fell in Saxony until Easter. According to DWD, the long-term average for April is 58.4 liters.

The Lower Saxony state forests also warn of fires caused by the dry plant remains of the past year. "The fresh green is yet to come," said a spokesman. Like a hair dryer, the wind can dry old grass and also contribute to the rapid spread of a fire.

In view of the risk of fire, it is currently more than negligent to smoke in the woods or handle fire differently, Aßmann warned. Cigarette butts thrown out of the car could cause fires on embankments.