Rhineland-Palatinate
Forest fire near Pirmasens – around 50 residents leave houses
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.
Because of a forest fire, around 50 residents of the municipality of Rodalben in the Southwest Palatinate had to leave their homes. Several streets were evacuated, as the operations management announced in the evening. The reason for this is that in the fire area near Rodalben there could still be ammunition and duds from the Second World War in the ground.
The rapidly spreading fire, which started on Tuesday afternoon, was “relatively well” contained by the evening, according to the fire brigade. The extinguishing work is still in full swing and is focused on protecting infrastructure, said head of operations Simon Tigges. The hope is that the fire will be extinguished during the night hours due to falling temperatures and higher humidity, he added.
According to the authorities, more than 200 emergency services were on site. The initially small fire on a steep embankment, fanned by the strong wind, quickly spread to an estimated 12 to 14 hectares, Tigges explained. An immediate fight against the fire is not possible – because of the possible ammunition load on the ground. 14 hectares corresponds approximately to the area of 20 soccer fields.
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