Suche
Mein Konto
Forest is burning ablaze: Fire brigade fights against fire inferno in Brandenburg!
Several forest fires in Brandenburg, including in Elbe-Elster, require intensive fire service efforts due to extreme heat.
Forest is burning ablaze: Fire brigade fights against fire inferno in Brandenburg!
The forests of Brandenburg are under heavy attack from several active forest fires, which are particularly raging in the south of the country. The extent of the situation is shown by a recent report from rbb24, which reports around ten active fires, including five in Lusatia. Interior Minister René Wilke and forest fire protection officer Raimund Engel have sounded the alarm: a total of twelve new fires broke out on Wednesday, which poses enormous challenges for the fire brigade and emergency services.
These fires are not only difficult to fight, but have already had serious consequences: two firefighters were seriously injured and 65 emergency services are on constant duty to tame the flames. Extreme weather with heat, dryness and wind makes extinguishing work extremely difficult. In Gohrischheide in Saxony, a fire is spreading over an area of 600 hectares, which has increased tenfold since Tuesday lunchtime. Communication between the emergency services is crucial, as the town of Heidehäuser, which has a residential home for severely disabled people, also had to be evacuated.
Current missions and challenges
The situation is particularly critical in the Spree-Neiße district near Drebkau, where a field fire has spread to around three hectares of forest. There are 17 fire engines in use here. A fire near Jüterbog, which can hardly be extinguished from the ground due to the high level of ammunition in the ground, also affects an area of 40 hectares. The federal police are now on site with firefighting helicopters in order to monitor the situation from above and take targeted action.
The situation in the community of Frohnsdorf, where the federal police are supporting the fire-fighting work, is also alarming. Five emergency services have already suffered injuries in the major fires. The high risk of forest fires cannot be overlooked at the moment: the highest forest fire danger level of 5 applies in Brandenburg, with the exception of three districts in the north. A gravestone for our forests, one could say, considering that even in Altdöbern a fire affected around one hectare and in Binenwalde 5,000 square meters of forest, where the criminal police are investigating suspected arson.
Climate change as a factor
Amid this emergency, the role of climate change is becoming increasingly clear. Researchers warn that such extreme forest fires are not only becoming more frequent, but also more deadly. A study by the University of East Anglia has shown that the risk of fire increases significantly due to drought and heat waves. Globally, nearly 100,000 people died in the 2010s due to particulate matter released by wildfires, compared to just 46,400 deaths in the 1960s. Particularly affected are regions such as South America, Australia and Europe, where the effects of climate change are more than obvious.
The current fires in Brandenburg clearly show us that it is high time to take action and take climate change seriously, because nature is fighting back. Research and knowledge shows that climate change is extending the forest fire season and increasing the intensity of fires, which in the case of Brandenburg has dramatic consequences.