NewsExplosions and fires in Berlin: Avoid Grunewald

Explosions and fires in Berlin: Avoid Grunewald

Created: 08/04/2022, 3:20 p.m

An explosion triggers a forest fire in Berlin. There are further explosions in a police camp. Extinguishing work is delayed.

+++ 3.13 p.m .: The Berlin fire brigade is preparing for a long mission when fighting the fire in Grunewald. The fire may keep the emergency services busy for the next few days, fire department spokesman Thomas Kirstein said on Thursday. “But we will put out the fire.” According to the fire department, about 15,000 square meters of forest are burning.

The extinguishing work had not yet started in the early Thursday afternoon. Due to the risk of further explosions, the emergency services could not initially approach the fire.

Fire in the Grunewald in Berlin: “Do not enter the forest area”

In the afternoon, a remote-controlled special robot from the Bundeswehr is to be used. Equipped with four cameras and a gripper arm, the robot can get closer to the area of the fire, said Brigadier General Jürgen Karl Uchtmann. In this way, a clearer picture of the situation can be created. A containment radius of 1000 meters has been set around the fire as there could be further explosions. “Do not enter the forest area,” warns the Berlin fire brigade on Twitter.

Im Berliner Grunewald ist nach einer unbeabsichtigten Explosion auf dem dortigen Sprengplatz am Donnerstagmorgen ein Feuer ausgebrochen und hat den angrenzenden Wald in Brand gesetzt.
A fire broke out in Berlin’s Grunewald forest on Thursday morning after an unintentional explosion at the blast site there and set the adjacent forest on fire. © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

The cause of the fire is still unclear. It is not known whether there was an explosion at the police detonation site in Grunewald or whether there had already been a fire. According to the police, around 25 tons of material, including fireworks and World War I ammunition, are stored at the detonation site. Experts usually render them harmless there.

Fire caused by explosion in Berlin: Fire spreads uncontrollably

Update from Thursday, August 4, 10:58 a.m .: According to the fire department, the fire in Berlin’s Grunewald continues to spread uncontrollably. “We are concerned,” said a fire department spokesman. There is still no reliable information about what the police blast site in the forest looks like. Due to the danger from the explosions and flying debris, the emergency services have retreated to around 1000 meters around the flames.

According to the fire brigade, extinguishing has not yet started. It is not yet possible to approach the fire site, as reported by Rbb . Containment work would already be carried out. In a radius of around one kilometer around the fire, the fire brigade began to water the adjacent forest areas. In addition, the flames are finally to be fought from the Havel with a fireboat. A firefighting helicopter was also requested.

Aufgrund der enormen Explosionsgefahr hat die Feuerwehr am Donnerstagvormittag noch nicht mit den Löscharbeiten im Berliner Grunewald begonnen.
Due to the enormous risk of explosion, the fire brigade had not yet started extinguishing the fire in Berlin’s Grunewald on Thursday morning. © Christophe Gateau/dpa

Drought and heat are making the current operations in Grunewald more difficult. “The forest is bone dry,” said Jan Thomsen, spokesman for the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection on Thursday. The regional and S-Bahn traffic in Berlin has been partially interrupted. There are also detours in long-distance traffic. The Avus Autobahn in Berlin is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day due to the fire in Grunewald.

Explosion triggers fire in Berlin – Bundeswehr in action

First report from Thursday, August 4th, 8.42 a.m .: Berlin – In the capital, civil protection currently has its hands full. The fire brigade is busy in Grunewald in a large-scale operation. According to initial information from AFP , a police camp is on fire here.

There is said to be found ammunition in the camp. “There is currently a fire in Grunewald and there are explosions,” writes the fire brigade on Twitter.

Fire in Berlin: the Federal Office calls for the area to be avoided

Not only the camp in Berlin is burning, the surrounding forest is also said to be in flames. The Berlin Grunewald area should currently be avoided, according to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance.

In Europe, many regions are struggling with forest fires as a result of the ongoing drought. It is precisely this drought that is also causing problems for the emergency services in Grunewald, as the dpa reports.

Explosion ignites forest and camp: Bundeswehr is deployed

The fire is said to have been triggered by an explosion at the blasting site in Grunewald. The explosion also set fire to the forest. The Bundeswehr is now to be deployed with special forces to fight the fire.

Around 100 fire brigade forces are currently on site, according to a spokesman. The railway has meanwhile also announced the closure for regional and long-distance traffic, and the motorway has also been closed in the area. (Lucas Maier with AFP and dpa)

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