From BZ editors
The barrage of fire eats its way through to Brandenburg’s villages and towns almost unhindered. The first towns had to be evacuated!
By Matthias Lukashewitsch, Axel Lier, Michael Körner and Olaf Wagner
The wind chases the flames across the parched forest floor, torching one tree after the other.
All the people of Brandenburg are hoping for now is rain. So much that the flame inferno is finally stopped.
The police are also helping to fight the whale fire at Treuenbrietzen with a water cannon Photo: dpa
But first a heat record was broken in the state: 39.2 degrees in Cottbus! A heat like in Spain, in France, where the forests burn down and people suffer.
A federal police helicopter takes on water for an operation Photo: Federal Police Special Forces
More than 200 hectares of pine forest near the small town of Treuenbrietzen (8,000 inhabitants) southwest of Berlin were still ablaze on Sunday evening. Dangerous: the flames are spreading across the site of a former explosives and training ground, where ammunition and ordnance are located.
The firefighters cannot approach the fire directly because of the ammunition. “A lot has already gone up,” said Andrea Metzler, spokeswoman for the district.
Photographed from above from a helicopter: The tank is pulled through the quarry pond Photo: Federal Police Special Forces
The number of firefighters was increased to 750, they are supported by three helicopters from the Bundeswehr and the Federal Police. In the middle of the night, 23 fire-fighting flights took off, dropping 115,000 liters of water.
Around noon, the city of Treuenbrietzen began evacuating. 620 people had to leave their homes in fear.
Fire-red night sky over Treuenbrietzen. The wind blows the flames across the parched forest floor Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
Also forest fire near Beelitz
In the afternoon, another major fire broke out in the forest near Beelitz, around 20 kilometers away. 35 emergency vehicles raced there.
Residents of Beelitz bring food and drink to rescue workers in the smoky streets of Beelitz Photo: Michael Körner
“Gusty winds fan all fires again and again,” says Raimund Engel, the forest fire protection officer in Brandenburg. The district administrator has already declared a disaster.
The fire raged here, destroying a large piece of forest near Frohnsdorf Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
Breathe a sigh of relief in the late evening: Some rain should fall during the night …
Curious: The smell of burning is said to be perceived even in Dresden!
Numerous concerned citizens reported to the integrated regional control center of the Saxon state capital on Sunday and reported a strong smell of burning. The authorities assume that “favoured by the prevailing weather conditions” the forest fire southwest of Berlin is the cause. Citizens were asked to refrain from further calls.
Huge waves of fire ate their way through the US state of California this year, destroying hundreds of houses. The 2021 California wildfire season saw 8,832 fires burning nearly 10,400 km² across the state. 3629 buildings went up in flames.
A threatening cloud of smoke rises behind the family home, getting closer and closer Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
Do we also face such scenarios?
Forest scientist Prof. Dr. Fabian Faßnacht: “I don’t want to paint black, but extreme situations could come our way if the current drought persists. What we are observing is the consequence of the recent frequent drought years going back to 2017.”
Brandenburg
He emphasizes: “The moisture storage in the soil is no longer replenished. As a result, there is also an extreme risk of fire here, and even a little rain in summer won’t help.”
