The biggest forest fire of the year so far in Brandenburg has now been extinguished, fire out in Falkenberg (Elbe-Elster)

Puffs of smoke rise from a forest area in the Elbe-Elster district between wind turbines. On July 25, a fire broke out near Falkenberg and quickly spread to several hundred hectares.

On July 25, the Elbe-Elster district announced the major damage situation. Hundreds of firefighters are called to action – including from other counties. Residents of several towns have had to leave their homes because of the fire.

Federal aid is requested: A Bundeswehr helicopter fetches extinguishing water from the Kiebitz dredging pond to fight the fire.

The fire also spread to a piglet farm. Interior Minister Stübgen reported on July 26 that three out of eight stables had burned down.

According to initial estimates, up to 2,000 animals were killed by the fire.

Firefighters are also injured in the fire: in the first 24 hours or so of the fire, seven firefighters are injured during the operation and six are hospitalized.

Brandenburg’s Minister of the Interior, Michael Stübgen (CDU), expressed concern on July 26 that the fire could drag on for a long time.

“Deleting it completely will probably take weeks,” says Stübgen during a visit to the site.

In the meantime, the evacuation of Rehfeld and Kölsa has been lifted. For the village of Kölsa-Siedlung, however, the evacuation remains in place. Several hundred residents had to leave their homes on Monday because of the fire. Further evacuations are currently not necessary, according to a press release on Tuesday afternoon.

The missions in two sections where ammunition is suspected to be in the ground are still particularly problematic. “Here, for safety reasons, the firefighters can only fight the fire from the paths.”

The Bundeswehr’s armored clearing vehicles support the extinguishing work.

The population in the Elbe-Elster district appreciates the difficult work of the fire brigade and helpers and shows their gratitude, as shown here on a banner.