The forest fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park has spread to the German side. The flames are not under control. News ticker.
- Forest fire in the Czech Republic not under control : disaster warning in Saxon Switzerland
- Flames from the Czech Republic spread to German territory : 150 firefighters on duty.
- Flames reach seaside resort in Greece : The fire is visible even from space.
- This news ticker is updated regularly.
Update from July 26, 9:40 p.m .: Almost 500 firefighters fought another forest fire in southern France on Tuesday. According to the authorities, because of the fire near Montpellier, residents of the village of Aumelas had to evacuate their homes and apartments. From Aumelas it is about 45 kilometers to the sea.
The flames ate through around 500 hectares of bushes, forest and vineyards in the area around 20 kilometers from Montpellier. The fire was carried by the wind. Two firefighting planes were deployed. The Hérault region has a high to very high fire risk. Most recently, two devastating fires in south-west France in the Gironde region destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest and forced thousands of people to flee.
Update from July 26, 6:09 p.m .: In the Czech Republic, the situation with the forest fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park near the border with Saxony has deteriorated dramatically. More than 400 firefighters fought the blaze on Tuesday, a spokesman said. They were supported by police and army helicopters. The forest fire spread to an area of around 30 hectares. In the town of Mezna, eight buildings caught fire and burned out completely. Almost all residents of the municipality of Hrensko, which is considered the gateway to the national park, had to leave their homes on Tuesday morning, said a fire department spokesman.
Update from July 26, 1:45 p.m .: A forest fire is raging in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. More than 250 rescue workers are on duty. A disaster alert applies to Bad Schandau. You can now find all further information on this in our news ticker.
Bundeswehr helps: Helicopters fight forest fires in Saxon Switzerland
Update from July 26, 12 noon: Four Bundeswehr helicopters are also to be used to fight the forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. “We expect the machines on Tuesday afternoon,” said a spokesman for the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office on Tuesday when asked. These should primarily help with the firefighting operation.
The fire spread from the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday. Since then, a state police helicopter has been providing reconnaissance flights in the fire area. In addition, a federal police helicopter with a water tank attached is used to extinguish the fire.
Forest fire in Saxon Switzerland – the situation continues to worsen
Update from July 26, 11:15 a.m .: The situation with the forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park has worsened. Tourists were urged to avoid the rear Saxon Switzerland area, there is a risk to life and limb, the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office announced on Tuesday. A disaster alarm had been raised for Bad Schandau. There are currently five deployment sites around the Großer Winterberg.
Since Tuesday morning, 254 firefighters and federal and state police forces have been deployed. Two water cannons, each with a capacity of 10,000 liters, and two helicopters are also used to fight the fire. The water supply comes from the Elbe and the Kirnitzsch.
The fire spread from the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday. As early as Monday, 70 children who were in a holiday camp in Ceska Kamenice were accommodated in Bad Schandau. They are cared for and taken care of by the Johanniter Pirna. They can return to their homeland during Tuesday.
Update from July 26, 9:34 a.m .: The forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park has spread. A disaster alarm had been triggered for Bad Schandau, said a spokesman for the district office of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains on Tuesday morning. There are now five deployment sites around the Großer Winterberg. The spokesman was unable to provide any information on the exact area that was on fire in the impassable, rocky area. Tourists should avoid the rear Saxon Switzerland.
Forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park – disaster alarm for Bad Schandau declared
The forces had withdrawn for their own protection at night. Active firefighting has been going on since Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. with fresh firefighters. There are currently 250 firefighters and federal and state police forces on duty. Two water cannons, each with a capacity of 10,000 liters, and two helicopters are also used to fight the fire. The water supply comes from the Elbe, for example.
Forest fire in the Czech Republic not under control: disaster warning in Saxon Switzerland
Update from July 26, 7.40 a.m .: The forest fire in the Czech Republic is still not under control, reports the MDR. The Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district triggered the disaster pre-alarm * for the communities of Sebnitz and Bad Schandau in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
According to current knowledge, residential areas are not affected by the flames. The fire had reached Saxon Switzerland on Monday evening.
*The Disaster Alert is triggered when a disaster is predicted to occur in an area. The pre-alarm is used for organization. The competent disaster control authority orders measures to avert the worst (cf. Saxon Disaster Control Act § 17).
Update from July 25, 10:16 p.m .: Southern Europe does not rest: At the start of the week, emergency services in several holiday countries are also fighting forest fires. At least in France and Spain, the situation eased somewhat – also on the holiday island of Tenerife. The fire is losing strength and there is hope that the flames could be brought under control shortly, the newspaper El Día quoted island president Pedro Martín on Monday.
The situation in Greece is different: in the country, which was badly hit by forest fires, the fight against the flames continued on Monday. Only with the fire that has been blazing for five days in the Dadia National Park in north-eastern Greece has there been a slight relaxation. It rained there on Monday, but only lightly. On the other hand, on the island of Lesbos, the Peloponnese peninsula, the Chalkidiki peninsula and near the Cretan capital Rethymno, there was no all-clear for the fires.
However, the heat wave in Europe is not over. On the Spanish mainland in Murcia, Córdoba or Seville there was another heat warning on Monday.
Flames from the Czech Republic spread to German territory
Update from July 25, 8:40 p.m .: More than 150 firefighters with 54 vehicles are currently fighting the flames in the Czech National Park Bohemian Switzerland. The rocky landscape near the Elbe borders on Saxon Switzerland on the German side. On Monday, the fire near the border with Saxony then spread to the German side. At 4:20 p.m., the local fire department confirmed this in a message.
A recent video by the Czech fire brigade from Rumburk, shared by freelance reporter Julius Geiler, shows the flames spreading to the German side. “The smoke goes as far as Görlitz,” writes Geiler. The fires are not under control, the wind keeps fanning the flames and the difficult-to-access terrain makes extinguishing work difficult.
Forest fires in France: At least three of the fires were caused by arson
Update from July 25, 6:03 p.m .: At least three forest fires were caused by arson in France. Including one of the largest and still not extinguished fires in the Gironde region. At times, 2,000 firefighters as well as fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters were deployed there, and around 20,000 hectares of land were destroyed. First, the police were able to arrest a suspect, but had to release him again for lack of evidence.
In the two fires that broke out in Brittany last week, fire experts analyzed the starting points of the fires. Local prosecutor Carine Halley said they were “undoubtedly of human origin.” Arson is a common cause of fire. Around every sixth forest fire (16.8 percent) in Germany can be traced back to arson. This is the result of statistics for the year 2021 from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Around a quarter of fires are caused by negligence.
Southern forest fire on western front and north-west under control
Update from July 25, 4:14 p.m .: There is good news from the Greek island of Lesbos. The forest fire in the south of the popular holiday island is under control on the western front and in the village of Stavros in the north-west, according to Greek media, citing the deputy head of civil protection in western Lesvos. Firefighting planes are still in use in the Rogada area. However, concern remains that the wind could fan the flames again.
Fires in Greece: Police are looking for potential arsonists
Update from July 25, 3:02 p.m .: In Greece, firefighters, military and volunteers are fighting the flames on the ground and in the air on the islands of Euboea and Lesbos and on the Chalkidiki peninsula. In the Evros region, the forest in the national park is burning for the fifth day in a row. A fire also broke out on Crete near the capital Rethymno during the day. The extinguishing work in the west of the Peloponnese peninsula continued on Monday afternoon. It’s been burning there since Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Greek authorities are looking for potential arsonists. A 63-year-old man suspected of being responsible for the recent fires on the island has been arrested on the island of Euboea.
Forest fire on holiday island Tenerife “stabilized”
Update from July 25, 12:09 p.m .: The forest fire on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife has decreased in intensity. The fire is losing strength and there is hope that the flames could be brought under control shortly, the newspaper El Día quoted island president Pedro Martín on Monday.
According to official information from Sunday, the flames have already destroyed more than 2150 hectares. Around 150 firefighters were deployed. Higher humidity and less wind made their work easier. At around 30 degrees, the temperatures were also not as extremely high as before.
The many other forest fires in Spain in recent weeks have now been extinguished or largely brought under control.
Forest fires in Greece: Fires on Lesvos still out of control
Update from July 25, 10:40 a.m .: In Greece, large forest fires continued to rage on Monday night. In the north-east of the country, there was a fire in the Dadia National Park for the fifth day in a row. There were 320 firefighters with 68 fire engines, six firefighting planes, two helicopters supported by the military in action. In the southern part of the island of Lesbos, the fire has also not yet been brought under control. Thousands of hectares are said to have already burned there, the daily Kathimerini reported. A large fire broke out on Sunday in the western Ilia regional district of the Peloponnese peninsula.
A forest fire that broke out near Yosemite National Park in the US state of California on Friday has continued to spread. More than 6,000 hectares of land are now affected and the fire is still not contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday. Over 2,000 firefighters are deployed along with 17 fire-fighting helicopters to contain the flames. The so-called Oak Fire is raging mainly in the Mariposa district east of San Francisco and has already destroyed ten houses and damaged five others. More than 6,000 people were evacuated, according to a spokesman for the California Fire Department.
Forest fires in Slovenia: Duds from the First World War make extinguishing work difficult
Update from July 24, 10:28 p.m .: The heat wave in Europe is also leading to extreme forest fires in Slovenia. Firefighters have been battling the flames there for days. On Sunday, 2000 firefighters, civil protection officers and volunteers fought the forest fires in the Slovenian karst region. “Inhumane efforts have been made, but now the end of the operation is near,” said Defense Minister Marjan Sarec.
The winds in the region had reignited the flames again and again and made it particularly difficult for the emergency services. In addition, duds from the First World War made extinguishing work more difficult. In order not to endanger people on the ground unnecessarily, the Slovenian fire brigade increasingly relied on firefighting from the air.
Colleagues from Italy feared the flames would spread near Gorizia on the border with Slovenia at the weekend and took hundreds of people to safety as a precaution.
Forest fires in Greece: Fire on the island of Lesvos seen from space
Update from July 24, 7.40 p.m .: The fires continued to rage uncontrollably on the Greek island of Lesbos on Sunday. The smoke was so strong there that it could be seen from space. This was announced by the European earth observation system Copernicus on Twitter and posted a corresponding satellite image.
Meanwhile, in northeastern Greece, countless hectares of the Dadia National Park burned. The military and forest workers tried to cut aisles in the pine forests and thereby prevent the flames from spreading further. In the meantime, more than 320 firefighters with 68 fire engines were deployed.
The extreme temperatures in Europe are causing drought, fires and deaths in many places. Spain is suffering the worst heat wave since the 1950s. By the end of July, more hectares of forest had burned there than in any other year since data collection began. Portugal is experiencing the worst drought in around 20 years and more than 1,000 people have already died from the extreme heat. In addition to the fires, Italy is also suffering from extreme water shortages.
Fires in Greece: Uncontrolled fires on Lesvos island and in Dadia National Park
Update from July 24, 3:10 p.m .: The massive fires on the island of Lesvos and in the Dadia National Park in northeastern Greece also raged uncontrollably on Sunday. On Lesbos, the residents of the village of Vrisa on the south side of the island were asked to leave the village at noon.
Fires rage in Greece: coastal town evacuated
Houses and cars fell victim to the flames. According to the fire department, 141 fires were registered across Greece within 24 hours. According to civil protection, almost all available fire-fighting helicopters and aircraft are currently in use nationwide. In Spain, the situation eased – apart from the Canary Island of Tenerife.
Fire in Tenerife: Several communities evacuated
Among other things, a substation of the state electricity company caught fire near the city of Larisa in Thessaly. Also on the western edge of the capital Athens must be deleted again. For Monday, the fire brigade still assessed the risk of fire as high to very high. Meteorologists announced high temperatures of up to 40 degrees and drought by the beginning of August.
Although the situation eased in Spain, the series of forest fires never ended. A fire on Tenerife caused concern on Sunday. The flames have already destroyed more than 2150 hectares on the island, which is popular with tourists, regional president Ángel Víctor Torres said late Saturday evening. 585 residents of La Guancha and four other communities in the north of the island have been brought to safety.
The approximately 150 emergency services have recently made great progress in fighting the fire, also thanks to higher humidity and weaker winds. The temperature increase announced for Sunday and Monday up to 38 degrees is worrying. “So we have to put out the fire as soon as possible,” Torres said.
Italy preparing to fire from encroaching Slovenia
Meanwhile, around 350 people were brought to safety in Italy near Gorizia (Gorizia) on the border with Slovenia. The reason is the fire in Slovenia, which could spread to Italy because of the strong wind, the fire brigade said on Sunday night. The place Savogna d’Isonzo was affected.
Forest fire reaches seaside resort in Greece: beach and hotels evacuated
First report from July 24: Athens – Forest fires continue to rage in southern Europe. Greece is currently being hit particularly hard. A major fire destroyed the forest of Dadia National Park, one of the largest forested areas in south-eastern Europe. A second major fire raged on the south side of the holiday island of Lesvos. The civil defense ordered the evacuation of the coastal town of Vatera.
Fire in Greece: Popular seaside resort has to be evacuated
On Saturday, the forest fire and the correspondingly heavy smoke reached the bathing resort popular with tourists. Two hotels and more than 90 houses had to be evacuated, reports the Tagesschau , citing the local police. A total of 450 people were brought to safety.
The Coast Guard had previously announced that they had evacuated the beach. According to dpa information, residents of Vatera had sought shelter here.
At least ten houses in the village were damaged, local media reported.
Forest fires are raging in Greece – emergency services at the limit
The situation in the nature reserve of Dadia in north-eastern Greece remained difficult. The flames destroyed a biotope where numerous birds of prey and wild animals live. The area is densely forested and there are hardly any roads. For this reason, the fire brigade is trying to contain the flames from the air with firefighting aircraft and helicopters, a spokesman for the fire brigade said on Saturday afternoon.
Most of Greece’s 86 fire-fighting planes and helicopters are fighting the flames, according to civil defense. Smaller fires were raging in the Peloponnese peninsula, Greek state radio reported.
Drought and high temperatures would hit almost all parts of Greece in the coming days and create “the perfect backdrop” for further fires, meteorologists warned on the radio. Temperatures in central Greece were already around 38 degrees early on Saturday morning. In some places, the thermometer should show values of more than 40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, the meteorological office said. It should be even hotter at the beginning of next week, and the heat will last until the beginning of August, it said. (dpa/rjs)
