A large fire broke out in Berlin’s Grunewald on Thursday morning. The cause is probably an unintentional explosion at a police detonation site. Due to further explosions and flying debris, the fire brigade cannot yet start extinguishing the fire. The emergency services initially withdrew to a distance of 1000 meters, so that the fire initially continued to blaze uncontrollably.
“The situation is confusing,” said a spokesman for the fire department. There is an “enormous danger”. The area that is on fire is relatively small compared to the recent forest fires in Brandenburg: the fire is only 1.5 hectares in size, which would correspond to an area of 100 by 150 meters, for example. However, there is a massive risk of explosion. As the RBB writesstore 50 tons of explosive ordnance and fireworks on the square.
The fire has had a massive impact on life in the west of the capital. Several roads are closed, including the A 115 motorway with the old Avus race track, one of Berlin’s most important transport links, which is now used by tens of thousands of cars from Brandenburg to the western part of the capital during rush hour traffic. The Avus, the police announced in the morning, will probably remain closed throughout Thursday. That should trigger traffic chaos in western Berlin.
There are also significant disruptions to rail traffic. The railway announced on its website that both regional and long-distance traffic were interrupted.
The fire brigade urgently warns the population not to enter the Grunewald. The area is cordoned off over a large area. Residents in the surrounding districts should keep windows and doors closed, and also switch off ventilation and air conditioning, advises the fire brigade. However, there is no direct danger that the fire will spread to houses, because the nearest residential buildings are at least two kilometers away.
At least 120 firefighters are on duty. In addition, special forces of the Bundeswehr help with the extinguishing work. Water cannons and Räumpanzer have also moved in, a fire-fighting helicopter has been requested. The drought in Grunewald and the ammunition still stored on the site posed a major challenge during the work.
What exactly caused the fire is still unclear. According to the fire department, the fire is spreading in a ring shape. As a first measure, according to a spokesman, the emergency services have started to water the adjacent forest areas within a radius of 1000 meters around the seat of the fire. This is to make it more difficult for the flames to spread.