Firefighters extinguish a forest fire in the summer of 2022 in a forest in the Gohrischheide nature reserve Photo: picture alliance/dpa/André March
From BZ/dpa
A helicopter has been fighting a forest fire in Gohrischheide on the border between Saxony and Brandenburg since Wednesday morning. A total of 150 hectares is affected, the police said on Wednesday.
The fire broke out on Tuesday and was initially extinguished. “But the wind keeps fanning the embers and it’s still burning,” said a police spokesman at the scene on Wednesday on request. It is being investigated for possible arson.
During the extinguishing work, railway sleepers that are soaked with oil are particularly problematic. For safety reasons, attempts are now being made to locate and extinguish these embers from the air. A total of around 80 emergency services are at the scene of the fire. The federal police helicopter has been in action since Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. According to a spokesman, this can throw off a total of up to 1800 liters of water.
In June 2022, a large fire in the Gohrischheide on the Saxony-Brandenburg state border developed into the largest forest fire in Saxony for 30 years. This resulted in millions of dollars in damage.