drought
Forest fire near Schierke in the Harz Mountains: 37 hectares affected
Firefighters continue to extinguish the embers in the forest during the night. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
The drought continues to cause problems for the forests in Germany – there are fires again. This time in Saxony-Anhalt.
The forest near Schierke in the Harz National Park is still burning on Friday morning. According to the latest findings, an area of 37 hectares is affected, according to the Harz rescue control center. At the moment, however, no specific locations are directly endangered. However, the spread of the fire must be checked again in the morning, according to a spokesman for the control center.
The forest fire broke out on Thursday. The smoke was visible from afar, as the Wernigerode volunteer fire department announced on Facebook.
During the night, the fire brigades had withdrawn somewhat and were only on site with the most necessary emergency services. The fight against the flames is to be intensified again on Friday morning, with several helicopters and the support of fire brigades from surrounding counties.