Rhineland-Palatinate
Fire brigade has forest fire near Pirmasens under control
Smoke rises above a forest area in Rodalben near Pirmasens. photo
© Police Headquarters Kaiserslautern/dpa
More than 200 emergency services were on site. Ammunition and duds from World War II make fighting the fire difficult.
The firefighting operation to fight a forest fire near Pirmasens continues: the flames are currently under control due to the night-time temperatures, said a fire department spokesman in the morning. The emergency services are trying to keep the area watered so that the rising temperatures and sunshine during the day do not lead to larger fires again.
The fire broke out for reasons that are still unclear and had spread rapidly from Tuesday afternoon. The extinguishing work was made more difficult by strong winds and possible ammunition and duds from the Second World War in the ground.
As early as Tuesday evening, the operations management reported that the fire near Rodalben (Southwest Palatinate district) had been “relatively well” contained. The extinguishing work focused on protecting infrastructure, said operations manager Simon Tigges. Because of the menacingly close flames, around 50 residents of the nearby municipality of Rodalben had to leave their homes. Several streets were evacuated. An emergency shelter for the people affected was set up in a hall. According to the authorities, more than 200 emergency services were on site.
Rodalben is a small town with around 7500 inhabitants. Two military facilities belonging to the US armed forces and the Bundeswehr are located near the scene of the fire on a former barracks site in Pirmasens.