A large-scale forest fire on the highest mountain in Germany’s Harz National Park has to be fought intensively from the air and on the ground – with helicopters, planes and many firefighters. The blazing fire at the Brocken, which has been raging since Friday, is not under control and is spreading unhindered. Many fire areas had merged and a larger fire front had developed.
Neither the district nor the police and fire department wanted to provide further information until early in the morning. Operational manager Immo Kramer told the German press agency: “The THW (Technical Assistance Organization, note) is busy laying paths and preparing a bridge so that ground operations can continue during the day.”
Sprinklers are designed to stop flames
Sprinklers are in use on important routes, which spread several thousand liters of water per minute, so that the flames do not spread further. Four fire-fighting aircraft and six fire-fighting helicopters were deployed for Saturday, according to Kramer. During the night, several firefighters had to withdraw because individual protective strips had been blown over by the fire.
Two years ago, the Harz district was declared a disaster because of a fire on the Brocken. Just like then, the Königsberg is now being hit again: a side hill of the Brocken.
About 500 people were evacuated
About 500 people were brought to safety by bus from the Brocken on Friday afternoon. They are tourists, hikers and athletes, says a spokesman for the Harz district. The path to the Brocken is one of the most visited hiking trails in the Harz National Park. In short, the area is very difficult to access.
There is currently no danger to the popular tourist town of Schierke, which is a few kilometers from the fire area, Kramer said. The wind is not pushing the fire front toward the location. “We are not worried about that.”
Area remains closed
The entire area in the national park remains closed and all events around the Brocken have been cancelled, the district announced. The population was also asked to keep the streets and access roads around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to hinder the emergency services.
The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB) announced that the section between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken is closed due to the forest fire. There are significant delays. At the Brocken, the city of Wernigerode and the district of Harz formed a joint operation team.
Source: Krone
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