Forest fire on the Brocken under control – fire-fighting operations in the Harz continue

Ray of hope in the fight against the flames on the Brocken: Although on the highest mountain in the Harz The emergency services on the ground and from the air continued to fight a large forest and area fire that had started on Friday. On Saturday evening, the district fire chief of the Harz district, Kai-Uwe Lohsethat the situation is under control.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. “I do not rule out arson,” said the 61-year-old, but the “People’s Voice”There are indications of this: initially there were eight fires, which later merged into a fire front more than one kilometre long and 200 metres wide.

However, according to the report, Lohse pointed out that it was still too early to investigate the cause of the fire: “First the fire must be extinguished, only then can measurements and investigations be carried out.” On Friday, the Harz district informedThe forest fire was discovered around 2 p.m. near the Kesselklippe on the Brocken.

On Saturday afternoon, Lohse had, according to the dpa agency said in the afternoon in Schierke at the foot of the Brocken: “We have succeeded in controlling the fire by using a lot of manpower and technology. That means it is not spreading any further at the moment.“

Regarding the expected duration of the operation, Lohse said: “We expect several daysbut we hope that this will all be over once the general weather situation changes on Monday.”

According to the district, more than 250 forces were deployed on Saturday. According to the report, emergency services from the Salzland district, the districts of Göttingen and Goslar as well as from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, the National Park, the German Armed Forces and the Federal Police are also involved.

The operations management in Schierke is hoping for rain. However, the German Weather Service is expecting also for Sunday with still very warm airwhich flows into Saxony-Anhalt.

© AFP/Jens Schlueter

“We expect to be flying all day tomorrow,” Wernigerode’s head of department, Immo Kramer, was quoted as saying on the Facebook page on Saturday. Lohse added: “We’ll get more water on the fire area tomorrow.”

On Sunday, eight helicopters and four aircraft will be deployed from 8 a.m.This is “the maximum amount of aerial firefighting resources that can be coordinated over the highest peak in northern Germany,” explained Lohse.

© dpa/Matthias Bein

Fighting on the ground Forces from the fire brigade, the Technical Relief Agency (THW) and the Harz National Park against the fire. During the night of Sunday, the fire-fighting operations were interrupted; according to the district, only patrols took place.

© dpa/Matthias Bein

How the broadcaster MDR online reported on Saturday, An area of ​​more than 20 hectares is already burning in the difficult-to-access area.

Kramer said, Sprinklers are in use on important roadswhich distribute several thousand liters of water per minute to prevent the flames from advancing further, says Kramer.

Emergency services at Brocken fear rising wind

With the available forces, plan the next few days from sunrise to sunset. Initially, rain is not expected, but rather wind. We have to see how this affects the fire, said Kramer.

According to the district A helicopter airfield was established in ElendThe water refueling station in Aue Hattorf is also ready for use.

Water will also be taken from a retention basin in Braunlage. The planes will also land in Ballenstedt and be refueled with water by fire service vehicles.

Wernigerode’s mayor Tobias Kascha In an interview with MDR on Saturday, he described the situation as more complicated than the major fire at the same location two years ago. The situation is tense.

According to information from the broadcaster, the fire an area near the Brocken Railway. Apparently there have been fires there several times in the past. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (HSB) announced that the route between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken is closed due to the forest fire. There will be significant delays.

© dpa/Matthias Bein

Around 500 people were brought to safety from the Brocken by bus on Friday afternoon. These are tourists, hikers and athletes, said a spokesperson for the Harz district. The path to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park. The area is generally very difficult to access.

For the popular tourist town of Schierkewhich is located a few kilometers from the fire area, There is currently no dangersaid Kramer. The wind is not driving the fire front towards the town. “We are not worried about that.”

The location on the Brocken in the Harz:

• On Friday, the Brocken in the Harz Mountains apparently in eight places simultaneously Fire
• This resulted in a large fire front
• The Cause of fire is unclear. Police investigations are ongoing
• In total, up to 250 forces against the flames. Extinguishing is also done from the air
• The fire department assumes a multi-day deployment out of

The entire area in the national park remains closedAll events around the Brocken have been cancelled, the district announced. The population was also asked to keep roads and access routes around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to hinder the emergency services.

An official danger warning has been in effect since Saturday. “For your own safety, do not enter the area,” it said. “Avoid the Brocken area as much as possible.”

Residents of Braunlage, Torfhaus and the area around the B4 are asked to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke development.

More forest fires in Saxony-Anhalt

The risk of forest fires is currently very high in large parts of Saxony-Anhalt. The forest fire in Oranienbaum According to the district, the fire has reached an area of ​​51 hectares, according to the dpa agency. During the night, emergency services prevented the fire from spreading.

However, there are still embers in the undergrowth. The fire broke out on Friday near the federal highway 107, a residential area and not far from an area contaminated with munitions. Oranienbaum Castle is not far away.

A spokesman for the district said that two helicopters and 260 firefighters in actionDuring the course of the day, the Minister of the Interior, the District Administrator and the Mayor want to get an idea of ​​the situation on site. Oranienbaum itself is not under threat.

There was also a fire at the Bundeswehr military training area in Altmark. This occurred during an exercise, and the heath burned over a relatively large area, said a spokesman for the Army’s combat training center.

Strong winds drove the fire furtherso that it spread over an area of ​​144 hectares. In the evening, the spokesman announced that the fire had been extinguished. Operations resumed on Saturday.