Forest fires are currently raging in Brandenburg and in Saxon Switzerland. The flames are spreading faster and faster on the border with the Czech Republic. The news ticker.
- Area and forest fire in Bavaria : 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia.
- Forest fire near Falkenberg (Brandenburg) : The situation on site is currently under control.
- Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland : The flames continue to spread.
- This news ticker on the fires in Brandenburg, the Czech Republic and Saxon Switzerland is continuously updated.
Update from July 28, 4:22 p.m .: Now it is also burning in Lower Franconia in Bavaria. A surface and forest fire employed numerous emergency services on Thursday afternoon in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia.
Wildfire and forest fire in Bavaria: 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia
A spokesman for the integrated control center said that ten fire brigades and the Bundeswehr fire brigade from the Hammelburg military training area were on fire in Elfershausen in the Bad Kissingen district. The first estimates by the firefighters on site were that the fire was around 600 meters wide. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.
Forest fire situation in Saxon Switzerland and Brandenburg still tense
Update from July 28, 3:30 p.m .: The forest fire situation in Saxon Switzerland is still tense, and emergency services are also on duty in Brandenburg. The danger of further forest fires in southern Brandenburg has not yet been banned. The fire flared up again in the south of the Kölsa-Rehfeld area of operations due to hot embers, the Elbe-Elster district announced on Thursday afternoon. A Bundeswehr helicopter fights the flames from the air with water tanks that can hold up to 5,000 liters. The water is drawn from the nearby Kiebitzsee, which is currently closed to bathers.
On the ground, a Bundeswehr armored personnel carrier provided support to create paths for the fire-fighting crews through the impassable terrain and to cut aisles so that the flames could no longer spread so quickly. Another tank is expected for Friday.
Around 300 emergency services from several parts of Brandenburg are fighting the flames. The situation in the operational area of the city of Falkenberg is under control, it was said on Thursday morning. According to the administrative staff of the district, the situation cannot be managed with one’s own strength alone. Therefore, emergency services were requested from other parts of the state.
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland – Shifting wind aggravates the situation
Update from July 28, 2:35 p.m .: The situation in the Saxon Switzerland National Park continues to worsen. Shifting winds from the direction of the Czech Republic have exacerbated the situation in the forest fire area in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. The fight against the fire is currently aimed at preventing further spread of flames from the neighboring country, as the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office announced on Thursday afternoon. “The emergency services are doing their utmost to further contain the fire.” The district office described the development of the fire as dynamic.
The flames have been raging on the border with the Czech Republic since the weekend. Around 340 firefighters from the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district and other districts were on site at noon. Dozens of workers from various aid organizations take care of the logistics and supplies.
The forces are supported by eight fire-fighting helicopters, three other machines for reconnaissance flights and two water cannons from the state police. According to the district office, a section of the Elbe is closed until 10 p.m. on Thursday for water extraction by fire-fighting helicopters. According to the information, around 250 hectares of forest are currently on fire.
“The situation is tense,” said the spokesman for the affected district, Thomas Kunz. So far, however, no towns or individual buildings have been evacuated, and there is currently no danger to the population. According to Kunz, however, there are corresponding concepts that could be implemented quickly.
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland: Flames continue to rage – “The situation is becoming more tense”
Update from July 28, 12:10 p.m .: The flames in Saxon Switzerland continue to spread rapidly, Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster has promised any help needed. “The forces fight beyond the exhaustion limit”. The location is unique and has never existed before. “The mission demands everything, and the Ministry of the Interior will support it to the best of its ability.”
According to Schuster, the first of the three firefighting helicopters ordered will be ready in Saxony next year. He also urged everyone to observe the ban on entering the forests. The situation on site is still tense, the flames had spread further in the past few hours (see original message below). This was announced by a spokesman for the district office of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains. “It looks like the situation could get worse, things are getting more tense.”
Forest fires in Germany: sea of flames continues to rage in Saxon Switzerland
Original message: Falkenberg – Two large forest fires are currently causing a large-scale operation in Brandenburg and Saxon Switzerland, and hundreds of emergency services are still fighting the flames. While the situation in southern Brandenburg apparently eased again overnight, the flames in Saxon Switzerland continue to spread.
Forest fire near Falkenberg (Brandenburg): situation under control – numerous embers under observation
According to the district, the large forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in southern Brandenburg has eased overnight, and the flames are currently under control in the area of the city of Falkenberg. There are currently no open fires. However, the situation in Brandenburg remains dynamic. The fire had flared up on Wednesday evening.
According to the information, numerous embers with temperatures between 40 and 180 degrees are currently under observation. They would have to be kept in check, the administrative staff said. Around 320 workers from several parts of Brandenburg are busy with the extinguishing work. To further contain the fire, a Bundeswehr armored personnel carrier arrived during the night, which created aisles in the area during the day.
The forces are again supported by the Bundeswehr and the state police from the air. After it was said on Wednesday that the fire-fighting helicopters of the Bundeswehr were no longer needed for the time being, transport helicopters with water loads from Kiebitzsee provided help again on Thursday. Swimming in the lake was again prohibited after an interim release. Most recently, the fire blazed over an area of around 500 hectares.
Forest fire in the Czech Republic: Stable situation in Bohemian Switzerland
And in Saxon Switzerland and the Czech Republic, emergency services are also tirelessly fighting the flames. As the dpa reports, citing a fire department spokesman in an interview with the agency CTK, the situation in the Czech National Park Bohemian Switzerland is currently stable – but tense. The affected area is still around ten square kilometers. Nearly 500 firefighters are on duty battling the blazes in one of the largest wildfires in the country’s history.
As the national park administration announced, the Prebischtor and the neighboring excursion restaurant Falkennest have so far been spared from the flames. The unique rock gate made of sandstone is considered a symbol of Bohemian Switzerland. Contrary to what was initially expected, other towns such as the municipality of Janov near the border with Germany did not have to be evacuated.
Around 450 people had had to leave their homes and apartments since the fire began on Sunday. Seven helicopters are on site to drop fire-fighting water. In the meantime, two Canadair CL-415 fire-fighting aircraft from Italy have also arrived at an airfield near Prague. The aid is provided under the EU civil protection mechanism, called “rescEU”.
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland continues to spread – hundreds of emergency services in action
In Germany, on the other hand, in Saxon Switzerland, the fire continues to spread. The dpa reports, citing a press spokesman for the district office of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains, Thomas Kunze, on Thursday morning. Further north of the previous fire area between Großer Winterberg and Großer Zschandbach, the fire crossed the border from Bohemia to Saxon Switzerland. 275 emergency services are currently trying to contain the fire. This number of emergency services will be increased further during the course of the day. There are now eight firefighting helicopters in use. According to the information, around 250 hectares of forest are currently on fire.
The fire broke out in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic over the weekend and spread to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday. In Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland, a disaster alarm has been in effect since Tuesday. Tourists should avoid the area. In the district of Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge, the forests may no longer be entered until further notice. According to the authorities on Wednesday evening, there is currently no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring towns.
