Seven emergency services were injured in a forest fire in the German state of Brandenburg. This was fueled by strong wind gusts and has spread massively. According to a spokesman for the fire service, the situation was “very tense” on Tuesday morning, about 600 people had to leave their homes for safety reasons.
While ten hectares of fields and forest were still on fire in the Elbe-Elster district on Monday afternoon, that was already 300 to 800 hectares in the evening. According to the district, a pig fattening farm in the Kölsa settlement was destroyed and many animals died. On Tuesday morning, the fire threatened at least one wind turbine, other installations and residential buildings. About 600 people had to leave their homes in the surrounding towns. A spokesman for the fire service said the situation is “very tense”.
Helicopter requested
German Bundeswehr helicopters were requested for Tuesday, deputy forest ranger Philipp Haase reported. The gusts of wind would have made the extinguishing work considerably more difficult and “in part even impossible”, according to the city district. Seven emergency services have already been injured, six of them require hospital treatment. A total of 400 emergency services were and are involved in the work.
Not the only forest fire
The forest fire in Elbe-Elster is not the only one in the neighboring country at the moment. A forest fire spread in the Saxon Switzerland (Saxony) National Park, which started in the Czech Bohemian Switzerland National Park. “Our big problem is the wind,” said a spokesman for the state council of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains about the spread of the fire. A preliminary phase of the disaster alert has been announced for the municipalities of Sebnitz and Bad Schandau.
Many European countries are currently fighting forest fires. In the Renski area of Slovenia, forest fires spread over an area of several hectares. Austria provided a fire fighting helicopter, equipment and an air rescue service.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
