Forest fires are currently raging in Brandenburg and in Saxon Switzerland. Saxony and the Czech Republic are now fighting the flames together. The news ticker.
- Forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in Brandenburg : situation under control, but the number of emergency services is being increased.
- Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland : Saxony and the Czech Republic fight fire together.
- Area and forest fire in Bavaria : 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia.
- This news ticker on the fires in Brandenburg, the Czech Republic and Saxon Switzerland is continuously updated.
Update from July 29, 8:06 a.m .: The emergency services in the Saxon Switzerland National Park are fighting against the further spread of the forest fire. On Thursday evening, fire nests were also discovered and extinguished on the other side of the Kirnitzsch river, said the spokesman for the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district, Thomas Kunz, on Friday morning. The firefighters had actually hoped that the Kirnitzsch would act as a natural barrier for the fire.
More than 220 firefighters battled the blaze in the morning. During the day, other emergency services from other parts of the country should arrive. Seven fire-fighting helicopters are in use, and two helicopters also carry out reconnaissance flights with thermal imaging cameras. At the weekend, two more helicopters are to be added to extinguish the fire. In addition, satellite images would be evaluated. According to the information, about 250 hectares of forest are on fire.
Forest fires in Germany: sea of flames rages in Saxon Switzerland – 400 emergency services in Brandenburg
Update from July 28, 10:27 p.m .: The forest fire that broke out in southern Brandenburg on Monday keeps the fire department busy. An additional fire protection unit has now been requested.
The Elbe-Elster district announced on Thursday evening that the number of emergency services in the area near the state border with Saxony rose from 300 to 400 on Friday.
Forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in Brandenburg: the situation is under control, but the number of emergency services is being increased
With the fire in southern Brandenburg, the situation on site is under control, but the number of emergency services has been increased. “The current challenge in the major fire in Kölsa-Rehfeld is still to track down embers in good time and then prevent open fire from developing,” said a spokesman for the district in the evening. This happened several times during the day. Overall the situation is stable. “But there is still no reason to give the all-clear.”
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland: Saxony and the Czech Republic fight fire together
Update from July 28, 8:22 p.m .: Saxony and the Czech Republic are fighting forest fires together. In order to enable cross-border use of fire-fighting helicopters, both countries had granted each other overflight rights of up to 20 kilometers over their territories, said Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) on Thursday. Germany and the Czech Republic are therefore intensifying the joint fight against forest fires in Saxon Switzerland and in the neighboring country. Now German pilots could also take water from the Elbe in the Czech Republic, it said on Thursday. Pilots from both countries could communicate via a closed radio frequency band released by NATO, which would allow operations to be better coordinated.
Fires in Saxony are spreading, fires are under control in Brandenburg
Update from July 28, 6:23 p.m .: Dense smoke is currently over the Elbe valley in Saxon Switzerland. The extinguishing work is currently ongoing in both Brandenburg and Saxony. The fires are spreading in Saxony and are currently under control in Brandenburg.
Forest expert explains the background: You cannot extinguish a forest fire with fire-fighting aircraft
Even if the flames in Saxony and Brandenburg should have been extinguished, the danger has apparently not yet been banned. A forest fire expert assumes that rockfalls could follow after the fires. “I fear that the fires in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains will lead to dramatic soil erosion and rockfalls. There’s hardly any humus there, the trees are on rock,” said Michael Müller, professor of silviculture and forest protection at the Technical University of Dresden, the newspapers of the Bayern media group on Thursday.
The expert is in favor of a differentiated approach to extinguishing forest fires: He advocated not always extinguishing forest fires in all areas. In a German national park, every fire slows down natural development by decades. The situation in the pine forests in Brandenburg, for example, is different. “There are areas with a high ammunition load there. Here you have to decide whether you should put out fires or give up and let it go.”
The expert also explained the background to firefighting. You can’t put out a forest fire with fire-fighting aircraft, says Müller. “We mainly throw the water on the treetops and are talking about one to two liters of water per square meter.” “The heat and noise level of the fire then abruptly decrease. Then the fire brigades can attack the crucial ground fire.”
Wildfire and forest fire in Bavaria: 600 meter wide fire in Elfershausen in Lower Franconia
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. A spokesman for the integrated control center said that ten fire brigades and the Bundeswehr fire brigade from the Hammelburg military training area were busy extinguishing fires in the Bad Kissingen district. Initial estimates by the firefighters on site assumed a fire 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 operation area 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 from other parts of the state were requested.
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 still 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 fire-fighting 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.
