Huge forest fire breaks out 1000 meter large fire in Germany

A huge forest fire has broken out on the Brocken mountain in Germany. The emergency services are deployed on a large scale.

The fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains continues to spread. Despite firefighting efforts on the ground and from the air, the fire on the highest mountain in northern Germany is not yet under control. It is burning over a length of 1000 meters, said a district spokesman this morning.

Fire-fighting work from the air was resumed this morning at the fire in the Harz Mountains. A helicopter, an airplane and around 150 firefighters are currently working on the ground, according to the district of Harz. Three more aircraft and another helicopter are expected to arrive around midday. Further helicopters had been requested from the German Armed Forces, the Federal Police and Thuringia.

There is no end in sight to the extinguishing work. It is expected to continue for days. The fire can still be seen from afar. Thick smoke is rising. Masses of water are released into the air in the fight against the flames and embers. The cause of the fire is still unclear. Meteorologists are not expecting precipitation in the region until Monday night.

Head of operations Jerry Grunau told MDR: "Compared to two years ago, the situation is definitely more difficult and worse."

Several fires combined

According to the district, a helicopter airfield was set up in Elend. The water refueling site in Aue Hattorf is also ready for use. Further protective strips are being cut on the ground and paths are being created. These will then be used to transport water.

On Friday, a fire broke out in several places on Saxony-Anhalt's highest mountain. The blazes later merged to form a larger fire front. Two years ago, the district of Harz declared a state of emergency due to a fire on the Brocken. As then, the Königsberg - a side peak of the Brocken - is now affected again.

Around 500 people were evacuated from the Brocken to safety because of the forest fire. They were tourists, hikers and sportsmen, said a spokesman for the Harz district. They were taken from the Harz summit in buses.

According to information from Friday, the entire area in the national park is closed and all events around the Brocken have been canceled. The district called on people to keep roads and access routes around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to obstruct the emergency services.

dpa