Large contingent of fire brigades fight against the flames
With 30 vehicles and over 200 emergency services on site, it is not easy to get the fire under control. Other forces must be alerted and move in.
The first attempt to reduce the spread by setting a bar was not crowned with success either. Residents are asked to keep doors and windows closed.
Rückersdorf/Falkenberg/Elster
After 5 p.m., the situation worsens. According to Falkenberg’s fire chief Sören Diecke, the fire is still not under control. An evacuation of the towns of Kölsa and Rehfeld with around 700 inhabitants is being considered as the fire is moving in the direction of the towns.
Rehfeld and Kölsa have to be evacuated in the evening
In the evening it becomes certain: Rehfeld and Kölsa including the Kölsa settlement must be evacuated. The fire continues to spread dynamically. In the meantime, it has moved up to 150 meters from the location of Rehfeld. It is also moving towards Kolsa and is within 400 meters of the location.
The head of the administrative staff, Dirk Gebhard, has therefore ordered the evacuation of the local residents (around 400 people) as a precautionary measure. This is currently being accompanied by the local police. Buses are ready, informs the district administration. Citizens could find out more by calling 03535 46 4004.
Pig fattening in Kölsa and photovoltaic system in Lönnewitz in flames
If you cannot organize yourself or see no possibility of finding accommodation with family members or acquaintances, please go to the bus stop in Rehfeld in the center of town. Meeting point in Kölsa is the bus stop by the church. Collective transports to accommodation in the guest house in Falkenberg/Elster are organized from there.
Shortly after 8 p.m. local residents report that a piglet rearing facility on the outskirts of Kölsa is on fire. As the circle confirms, numerous animals have died. A few minutes later, LR.de received this information from a local resident: “Now the photovoltaic systems in Lönnewitz are also on fire.”
Cottbus sends help to Elbe-Elster in the fire area
A tank extinguishing unit from the Cottbus fire brigade was deployed to the forest fire area in the Elbe-Elster district on Monday afternoon. They were requested by the commander-in-chief.
In addition, the special task force (SEG) Flight from Cottbus was ordered to the forest fire in order to support the operation from the air with a drone, according to the Lausitz control center.
Other fire brigade vehicles are on their way from Potsdam-Mittelmark to Elbe-Elster. The district requested these forces via the Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior.
Villagers shocked by rapid spread of flames
Shortly before the order to evacuate Kölsa is announced on site in the evening, a number of villagers stand stunned on the road that leads to Kölsa settlement and watch what they call “an inferno”. Two women are visibly shocked. “What can I say, I’m feeling bad and I’m scared,” says one of them. Both are close to tears. Her neighbor isn’t doing much better either. “My limbs are shaking and we live right here. I was actually fine at first, but now?”
A few minutes later, the police ordered the evacuation. Those who cannot find accommodation elsewhere should go to the guest house in Falkenberg. A little later Antje Kegel and Frank Stein stand there. Both are amazingly composed. “What should you do,” they say, “yes, it’s a catastrophe, but you have to keep a cool head.” Stein saw from his skylight how the freshening, strong gusty wind, the fire in the evening again fueled. “The sight was amazing. It was just a blast of fire,” he recalls. When the two can return is still open at this point in time.
More reinforcements have arrived
At around 10 p.m., the Lausitz control center learned that the fire had still not been brought under control to date. Further reinforcements from Potsdam Mittelmark and Saxony are on the way to the fire area or have already arrived.
An hour later, the district administration announced that the fire is still out of control. During the day and evening, the area had increased to around 800 hectares. During the operation, seven emergency services were injured. Six of them were taken to a hospital, according to the circle.
The end of the firefighting is not foreseeable
More than 400 emergency services are involved in the fire operation, including regional forces from Potsdam-Mittelmark, Cottbus and Oberspreewald-Lausitz.
The major fire continues to spread dynamically, according to the bitter conclusion on Monday night. The experts in the administrative staff assume that the firefighting will continue throughout the night and last several days. An end is not foreseeable, according to the operations management.
On Monday evening, Secretary of State for the Interior Dr. Markus Grünewald in the administrative staff on site informed about the current operations.