The emergency services battling a large forest fire on the Brocken are hoping for a change in the weather that could bring rain from late Sunday evening. “We are expecting several days, but we hope that the change in the general weather situation on Monday will put an end to this,” said the district fire chief of the Harz district, Kai-Uwe Lohse. In the evening, he announced that the situation was now under control.
The German Weather Service is expecting very warm air to continue to flow into Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday. Heavy or continuous rain will start from the west from late Sunday evening. Storms with more than 40 litres of rain per square metre cannot be ruled out.
Firefighting operations were suspended overnight into Sunday, and only patrols were carried out, according to the district. Firefighting planes and helicopters will be back in action in the morning.
Maximum number of aircraft and helicopters in use
On Saturday evening, a second Bundeswehr helicopter arrived at Brocken. Another Bundeswehr helicopter is expected for Sunday. Flights are expected to take place all day on Sunday, said a spokesperson for the town of Wernigerode. From 8 a.m., the maximum number of aerial firefighting resources that can be coordinated over the highest peak in northern Germany will be deployed. Eight helicopters and four planes will then be in use.
According to the district, more than 250 forces were deployed on Saturday, including four planes and three helicopters. Support also came from neighboring districts and federal states. According to the report, emergency forces from the Salzland district, the districts of Göttingen and Goslar as well as from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, the National Park, the German Armed Forces and the Federal Police were also involved.
Brocken area remains closed to civilians
The fire broke out on Friday on Königsberg, a side peak of the Brocken, and spread over a length of around 1,000 meters. The area is currently closed to civilians. Residents of Braunlage, Torfhaus and the area around the B4 are asked to keep windows and doors closed because of the smoke. On Friday, around 500 people had to be evacuated from the Brocken by bus. The Harz narrow-gauge railways have suspended train services between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken until at least Sunday.
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