From BZ/dpa
In the forest fire area in southern Brandenburg, the emergency services have requested reinforcements. Because summer temperatures were predicted without significant precipitation, further fire protection units had been requested from the country, the Elbe-Elster district announced on Saturday evening in Herzberg (Elster).
“This situation carries the risk of flaring fires.” In the evening, 160 emergency services were still on site. The work should also continue into Sunday night.
According to the information, a helicopter flew over the affected area “to document the critical fire sites and fire nests”. In addition, drones were used to send firefighters to embers in a targeted manner. Firefighters have feared the fire would flare up for days.
A cargo helicopter from Austria flies with an external fire-fighting water container in the Saxon Switzerland National Park Photo: dpa
The so-called major damage situation will remain on Sunday, as the district further announced. This makes it possible to ask emergency services from other areas for support because your own forces cannot cope with the situation on your own. In addition, the federal highway 183 between Beilrode and Marxdorf will remain closed.
The forest fire not far from the Saxon border broke out on Monday and quickly spread to around 800 hectares – an area about four times the size of Monaco.
With the devastating forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park, there is still no relief in sight – and this could remain the case for weeks. It rained heavily for only 15 minutes, said the spokesman for the district of Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge, Thomas Kunz, in the evening of the German Press Agency. The only effect was that because of the precipitation, smoke rose from embers and these became visible.
“If the weather doesn’t change, there’s no chance of improvement,” said Kunz. An end to the operation is not in sight. “We no longer calculate in days, we calculate in weeks,” he said. “The situation remains tense.”