Brandenburg
Forest fire near Jüterbog: the situation is relaxing
Task forces fight the fire in a forest near Jüterbog. photo
© Thomas Schulz/TNN/dpa
A fire broke out in a forest near Jüterbog in Brandenburg last week. Only now is the situation calming down – and Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir is calling for caution in the forest.
The situation with the forest fire near Jüterbog eased somewhat yesterday afternoon. The situation has improved for the firefighters, especially compared to Wednesday, said the forest fire protection officer for the state of Brandenburg, Raimund Engel. The fire area only grows slightly. According to eyewitnesses, there were significantly fewer emergency services on site yesterday than on Wednesday.
Strong wind had fueled the forest fire again on Wednesday of this week, according to the operations management. Firefighting from the air was resumed with a federal police helicopter and a fire-fighting aircraft. The operations management increased the number of firefighters. The fire brigade cannot get to the source of the fire directly because of the risk of explosion on the former military training area.
According to Engels, the total area affected since the outbreak of the fire is now around 656 hectares. That is more than twice the area of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam and more than three times the area of Tiergarten in Berlin. The forest fire area is made up of areas that have already been burned and the areas that are currently burning.
Özdemir: “Sparks can ignite a sea of flames”
In view of the current risk of fire, Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir warns against lighting fires or throwing away cigarette butts in forests. “Even a spark can ignite a sea of flames,” said the Green politician to the editorial network Germany (RND). “The forest has already been severely damaged by drought and heat – we all have a responsibility to ensure that it doesn’t suffer any more damage.”
The effects of the climate crisis, which is increasingly affecting the forests, are also problematic and conducive to fire. “Forest fires can spread even more easily in the already damaged forests,” Özdemir explained. Adapting forests to climate change could help: “That means above all: away from monocultures and towards near-natural mixed forests, which are more resilient to extreme weather conditions due to their biodiversity and nature.”
In addition to Jüterbog, there is also a fire in a forest and moor area near Göldenitz south of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.