The large forest fire on the highest mountain in the Harz Mountains will continue to be fought intensively from the air and on the ground – with helicopters, airplanes and many firefighters. According to information from the district late in the evening, the fire on the Brocken, which has been blazing for hours, is still not under control and is spreading unhindered. Many fire spots have merged and a larger fire front has formed, it was said after a briefing. Neither the district nor the police and fire department were willing to provide further details until early in the morning.
Head of operations Immo Kramer told the German Press Agency: “The THW is building paths and preparing a bridge so that operations on the ground can continue during daylight hours.” Sprinklers are being used on important paths, distributing several thousand liters of water per minute to prevent the flames from advancing any further. Four firefighting planes and six firefighting helicopters have been requested for Saturday, said Kramer. During the night, some firefighters had to withdraw because the fire had jumped over individual protective strips.
Two years ago, the Harz district declared a state of emergency due to a fire on the Brocken. As was the case then, the Königsberg – a secondary peak of the Brocken – is now affected again.
Large fire front emerged
Around 500 people were brought to safety from the Brocken by bus on Friday afternoon. They were tourists, hikers and athletes, said a spokesperson for the Harz district. The path to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park. The area is generally very difficult to access.
No danger for Schierke
There is currently no danger for the tourist town of Schierke, which is a few kilometers away from the fire area, said Kramer. The wind is not driving the fire front towards the town. “We are not worried about that.”
The entire area in the national park will remain closed and all events around the Brocken will be cancelled, the district announced. The population was also asked to keep roads and access routes around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to hinder the emergency services. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (HSB) announced that the route between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken is closed due to the forest fire. There will be considerable delays. The city of Wernigerode and the Harz district formed a joint emergency team at the Brocken.
Same fire site as two years ago
Almost exactly two years ago, there was a day-long firefighting operation at the current fire site due to a forest fire. Up to seven firefighting helicopters and two Italian firefighting aircraft supported the operation at the time. The fire was discovered at the beginning of September 2022 on Goetheweg near the Goethebahnhof lookout point.
More forest fires in Saxony-Anhalt
The risk of forest fires is currently very high in large parts of Saxony-Anhalt. A fire broke out during an exercise at the Altmark military training area, and the heath burned over a relatively large area, said a spokesman for the Army’s combat training center. Strong winds drove the fire further, so that it spread over an area of 144 hectares. In the evening, the spokesman announced that the fire had been extinguished.
A forest fire that has been raging since Friday afternoon in Oranienbaum, not far from a residential area and an area contaminated with munitions, triggered a major fire service operation. Oranienbaum Castle is also not far from the fire area. According to information from the city late Friday evening, around 180 firefighters were deployed, and one firefighter was injured and taken to hospital. Extinguishing efforts are expected to continue unabated throughout the night.
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