The fire brigade has in the Berlin Grunewald have not yet started extinguishing work within a safety radius of 1000 meters around the police detonation site. That said state fire director Karsten Homrighausen on Thursday afternoon with reference to the dangers involved. “We have intensified the preparations, exactly from the 1001st meter,” said Homrighausen. If fires threatened to spread beyond the security area, they could be countered.
“We have prepared for this with a massive deployment of forces,” said the state fire chief. The extinguishing water supply from the Havel and the Krumme Lanke is inexhaustible. The fire-fighting water is brought to the site, up to the security zone.
The Bundeswehr supports the fire brigade, for example by cutting aisles in the forest area, said Homrighausen. This offers the fire brigade more freedom of movement and improves the chances of fighting the fire if the fire should spread.
“We have 250 forces at the moment,” said the state fire chief. Some of them are still on the way to the scene of the fire. The Berlin fire brigade, police and army are working together.
Fire brigade: A fire in Grunewald could keep us busy for days
The Berlin fire brigade is preparing for a long operation fighting the fire in Grunewald. The fire may keep the emergency services busy for the next few days, said fire department spokesman Thomas Kirstein. “But we will put out the fire.”
The cause of the fire is still unclear. It is not known whether there was an explosion at the police detonation site in Grunewald or whether there had already been a fire. According to the police, around 25 tons, including fireworks and World War II ammunition, are stored at the detonation site. Experts usually render them harmless there.
A special Bundeswehr robot equipped with cameras was to be deployed in the afternoon. With its help, the fire brigade hopes to get a clearer picture of the situation.
Mayor Giffey: We have to talk about explosive sites in Berlin
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey has announced that she wants to talk about the location of the Berlin police detonation site. “We have to think about how we will deal with this explosive site in the future and whether such a place is the right place in Berlin,” said the SPD politician after a visit to Grunewald.
Giffey said she would also talk to Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) about the possibilities for cooperation in the metropolitan region. “You have to talk about that,” Giffey said. “At the moment I’m very happy that there are no residential buildings in the immediate vicinity and we don’t have to evacuate anyone.”
The blasting site has been in Grunewald for many years, said the governing mayor. “He is the only one in this form on Berlin territory.” He is in the forest, not in a residential area. “In this respect, this is a situation that, as we can assess, is still more relaxed.”