Forest fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains spreads

A fire breaks out in the Harz mountains near the famous Brocken. Thick smoke rises. There is no all-clear in sight – on the contrary.

Wernigerode – The fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains continues to spread. The fire on the highest mountain in northern Germany is not yet under control despite fire-fighting efforts on the ground and from the air. It is burning over a length of 1000 meters, a district spokesman said this morning. According to the information, a helicopter, an airplane and around 150 emergency personnel are in action on the ground. Further reinforcements are expected to arrive at midday. On Friday, hundreds of people were brought to safety from the summit.

There is no end in sight to the fire-fighting operations. They are expected to continue for days. The fire can still be seen from far away. Thick smoke is rising. Masses of water are being released from the air to fight the flames and embers. It is still unclear what caused the fire. Meteorologists are not expecting any rain in the region until Monday night.

The fire broke out in several places on Friday. The fire spots later merged into a larger fire front. Two years ago, the Harz district declared a state of emergency due to a fire on the Brocken. As was the case then, the Königsberg – a side peak of the Brocken – is affected again. The risk of forest fires is currently very high in large parts of Saxony-Anhalt.

Operations manager Jerry Grunau told MDR: “Compared to two years ago, the situation is definitely more difficult and worse.” According to the district, three more planes and another helicopter are expected around midday. Additional helicopters have been requested from the German army, the federal police and Thuringia. A helicopter airfield has been set up in Elend.

According to the information, further protective strips are being cut and paths created on the ground. The water will be transported over these. During the night, some firefighters had to withdraw because the fire jumped over some of the protective strips. The flames had also spread during the night.

500 people brought to safety

According to information from Friday, the entire area in the national park is closed and all events around the Brocken have been cancelled. The district called on people to keep roads and access routes around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to hinder the emergency services.

The Harz narrow-gauge railways announced that the route between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken was closed due to the forest fire. The town of Wernigerode and the district formed a joint task force at the Brocken.

On Friday afternoon, around 500 people were brought to safety from the Brocken by bus. They were hikers and athletes, said a spokesman for the district. The path to the Brocken is one of the most frequented hiking trails in the Harz National Park. The area is generally very difficult to access.

More fires in Saxony-Anhalt

It is not the only fire raging in Saxony-Anhalt: According to the district, the forest fire in Oranienbaum has reached an area of ​​51 hectares. During the night, emergency services prevented the fire from spreading. However, there are still embers in the undergrowth. The fire broke out on Friday near the federal highway 107, a residential area and not far from an area contaminated with munitions. Oranienbaum Castle is not far from there.

According to a district spokesperson, two helicopters and 260 firefighters are deployed. The Interior Minister, the District Administrator and the Mayor plan to visit the scene over the course of the day. Oranienbaum itself is not under threat.

There was also a fire at the Altmark military training area. It started during an exercise, and the heath burned over a relatively large area, said a spokesman for the army’s combat training center. Strong winds drove the fi
re further, so that it spread over an area of ​​144 hectares. In the evening, the spokesman announced that the fire had been extinguished. Operations resumed on Saturday. dpa