By Matthias Lukashewitsch and Jörg Bergmann
The rain was able to contain the fires in Treuenbrietzen and Beelitz. But there are still embers. Brandenburg’s Interior Minister speaks of a highly dramatic situation.
Breathe a sigh of relief in Treuenbrietzen and Beelitz (Potsdam-Mittelmark). The rain and the tireless work of the emergency services stopped the conflagration on Monday night!
In the small town of Treuenbrietzen (8,000 inhabitants), the 620 residents of the evacuated districts of Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were allowed to return to their homes on Monday morning. Seven residents had stayed in the emergency accommodation in the town hall, the others had found private accommodation.
Marion Donath (39, cook) had to be evacuated with her son Tim (6) in Frohnsdorf Photo: Joerg Bergmann
“The fires in the Treuenbrietzen area have all been extinguished,” says Jan Penkawa, spokesman for the crisis management team in the situation center, to the BZ. “There is no longer any danger for the residents here. Neither by fire nor by smoke.”
Since Monday morning, the rain has “helped” to bring the situation under control.
Norman Ziehe (33, electrician) had to leave the house with his wife and son (9) – the family spent the night with grandma Photo: Joerg Bergmann
The fires were temporarily out of control on Saturday and Sunday. Fanned by the gusty, constantly changing wind with up to 50 kilometers per hour. In the summer heat of up to 38 degrees. “It’s like sticking a hair dryer directly into a grill,” says Penkawa.
The spokesman admitted: “There are still small embers on the burned area with 165 hectares.” But: “The fire brigade has an eye on that.”
The forest near Frohnsdorf has burned down on 165 hectares – firefighters check the ground for embers Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP
For the Beelitz area, the situation has not yet been completely “defused”, says Penkawa. Despite the rain, the fire brigade was still busy extinguishing the fire on Monday. The rain alone wasn’t enough here: “It would have had to rain three days in a row for that.”
But at least: “The evacuations that had been prepared could be canceled.” A neighboring rehabilitation clinic in Beelitz was also affected. Penkawa: “That was no longer necessary.”
The dense smoke lay over Beelitz and Treuenbrietzen like a poisonous haze Photo: Michael Körner
The devastating pine fire broke out on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the area of the old Beelitz sanatorium.
Within minutes, the fire had eaten up into the treetops and spread over 200 hectares. As in Treuenbrietzen, World War II ammunition stored in the ground apparently self-ignited.
At a quarry pond, the bathers could observe the threatening development of smoke over Beelitz Photo: Stephanie Pilick/dpa
The situation was highly dramatic, said Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) on Monday during a visit to the fire area. A barrage of fire was only stopped 200 meters before the first residential buildings in Beelitz.
