The forest fires in the Czech Republic and Germany keep the emergency services on their toes, the situation in Saxon Switzerland remains tense. The hoped-for persistent rain did not help the firefighters. Only on Saturday it rained for about fifteen minutes in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and a little longer in northern Saxony. The only effect was that the precipitation caused smoke to rise from the embers and make them visible.
“If the weather does not change, there is no chance of improvement,” said Thomas Kunz, spokesman for the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district. An end to the operation is not in sight. “We no longer count in days, we count in weeks.” Meanwhile, forest fires raged in southern Brandenburg and the Czech Republic, demanding everything from the firefighters. On the Czech side, the size of the fire is even greater: there the flames rage over an area of more than 1000 hectares, 750 firefighters from all over the Czech Republic are on site.
Difficult to access area
“Due to the challenging terrain, work is progressing relatively slowly,” an emergency services spokeswoman told CT public television on Sunday. So far, eight emergency services have been injured on the Czech side, some seriously. the forest area is difficult to access – including areas on the German-Czech border and the so-called Deep Valley. Access to large parts of the national park area is now prohibited to keep spectators away.
According to Kunz, the fire in the rear part of Saxon Switzerland has, as expected, penetrated to half a meter deep into the humus layer of the soil and is spreading there. That is why attempts are now being made to erect barriers on forest paths, for example. “For this, the ground is torn open and a mixture of water and a so-called wetting agent is introduced,” explains the district spokesperson.
Injured firefighters
The fire broke out in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic last weekend and spread to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday. Meanwhile, an area of about 150 hectares is affected – an area the size of the island of Heligoland. Disaster alarm applies to Bad Schandau and Sebnitz. On the Saxon side, four firefighters have been injured so far, two of whom had to be hospitalized.
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.
