Fire on the Brocken: fire largely under control | NDR.de – News – Lower Saxony

Already on Monday, hundreds of emergency services were assisted in fighting the flames on the ground from the air. A firefighter was seriously injured in action. A technical device exploded, as a spokesman for the Harz district announced on Monday evening. The firefighter was flown to the Bergmannstrost Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) burn center in a rescue helicopter. So far, according to the information, 2.8 million liters of water have been distributed over the fire. The firefighting from the air is having an effect, “extinguishing success sets in,” reported the district spokesman. But the disaster persists.

Also bog area caught fire

“It looks like the fire won’t spread any further,” said Harz district administrator Thomas Balcerowski (CDU) cautiously early Monday afternoon. However, there was a fear that the wind coming from the east would fan the flames and drive them further into the area. The rain announced for Wednesday could help, so Balcerowski. According to the information, around 150 hectares southwest of the Brocken summit on the Saxony-Anhalt side burned – directly on the state border with Lower Saxony. Among them was a 60 square meter moor area. Residential areas are still not threatened. Tourists should continue to avoid the Harz, the Brocken and water intake points are cordoned off over a wide area because of onlookers.

Two firefighting planes for support, @fire coordinates the operation

The two firefighting planes requested from Italy by the European aid project “RescEU-IT” have been on the Brocken since Monday morning. According to the Flightradar online service, the machines fetch water every 20 minutes from Lake Concordia in the Harz foothills of Saxony-Anhalt. Because there was a risk that the situation would deteriorate due to rising winds, up to ten fire-fighting helicopters were also to be deployed. The Harzwasserwerke have released the Oker and Oder dams for water withdrawal. A team from the globally active civil protection organization @fire has taken over the coordination in the air. According to the Harz district, around 300 firefighters are on site.

National Park employees loosen moorland for firefighting

In the moor area that has been on fire since Sunday evening, 20 employees of the Harz National Park are on the move to loosen the soil with hand hoes. According to national park director Roland Pietsch, the extinguishing water dropped from the air can then penetrate the ground better. There were initially no open fires, but there was a risk of fires spreading underground. The fire brigade was concerned about the spread to the moor, as district fire chief Kai-Uwe Lohse said Central German Radio (MDR) in Saxony-Anhalt said. Moor fires are difficult to extinguish.

The fire has spread around the Goetheweg in the south-western area of ​​the Brocken.

Discussion about deadwood removal

Regarding the problem of dry dead wood on the forest floor and its effect as a possible fire accelerator, Lower Saxony’s Environment Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) said on Monday that the question of firebreaks had to be assessed on the basis of the specific local risk situation. “In any case, we have to take into account the special responsibility for the outstanding natural environment of the forest national park and at the same time ensure that the fires cannot spread uncontrollably, especially in the dry season.” The Harz is a very special natural area, and Lower Saxony wants to work together with its neighbors from Saxony-Anhalt. “Therefore, we will first examine the proposals made by the national park administration based on the knowledge gained from the fire, including the cause of the fire, and also take a close look at the proposals of the working group headed by Wernigerode Mayor Tobias Kascha.” The CDU in Saxony-Anhalt had previously called for the law to be amended in order to be able to remove easily combustible deadwood. State parliamentary group leader Guido Heuer announced talks with the state of Lower Saxony about the joint national park area.

Further information

At the latest after the fires in the Harz Mountains, dealing with dead trees in Lower Saxony’s forests is up for discussion. (08/16/2022) more

District of Harz declares a disaster

District Administrator Thomas Balcerowski (CDU) had declared a disaster for the Harz district on Sunday. This enables him, among other things, to request additional forces and, if necessary, to evacuate places like Schierke. Police officers secured the area around the Brocken, which is closed to visitors. The town of Schierke, which belongs to Wernigerode, is still not at risk, it said.

Brocken cleared – Berg is no longer approached

The fire was discovered around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday near the Goethebahnhof vantage point. The Goetheweg to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park. Because of the heavy smoke, the authorities cleared the highest Harz mountain, which is in Saxony-Anhalt and borders directly on Lower Saxony. Tourists were brought down to the valley with the Brockenbahn, among other things. The Harz narrow-gauge railways are currently not running on the 1,141-meter-high mountain. As the railway company announced on its website, there is limited train service between Wernigerode and Drei Annen Hohne.

Heavy forest fire already in mid-August

A forest fire at the foot of the Brocken near Schierke had already raged for several days in mid-August. According to the national park administration, 3.6 hectares of spruce forest were destroyed.

Further information

A map shows where the risk of fires in northern Germany is high – and how the risk will develop in the coming days. more

How dangerous dead wood can be has been discussed for days. In principle, however, it can be useful for fire protection. (08/19/2022) more

The national park administration wants to provide information about future fire protection. The deadwood causes discussions. (08/19/2022) more

Aerial photos show several eruption sites. The scene of the fire was confiscated, specialists secure evidence. (08/15/2022) more