Status: 04.09.2022 2:00 p.m
The forest fire on the Brocken is spreading. Meanwhile, 62 hectares of forest are in flames. The district administrator of the Harz district has declared a disaster.
The fire is not yet under control. This was announced by the city of Wernigerode. Five firefighting helicopters and more than 300 emergency services are fighting the fire. The fire brigade has requested firefighting aircraft from Italy and Sweden. A good 50 police officers secure 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.
Note on the NINA app: Avoid Brocken and the surrounding area
The control center in the Harz Mountains sent danger information via the NINA warning app. Accordingly, the view in the area was clouded by the smoke, people should also keep windows and doors closed, switch off the air conditioning and – if they were outside – cover their mouth and nose with a cloth or mask.
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.
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