German firefighters forced to let wildfire burn across nature reserve

Firefighters in Germany are being forced to stand by and watch blazes spread rapidly south of Berlin as a former military training area laced with dangerous old munitions went up in flames over the weekend.

Fire and smoke rise from a forested area near Jueterbog, where a blaze has been burning on a former military training site contaminated with ammunition since Friday. (zu dpa: «German firefighters forced to let wildfire burn across nature reserve») Manuel Genolet/dpa

In what is now a nature reserve home to rare animal species, fire has swept through an area of around 113 hectares – equivalent to roughly 160 football pitches – near the Brandenburg town of Jüterbog, municipal authorities said on Sunday.

Because the old munitions in the ground make a direct firefighting operation too dangerous, the fire brigade is keeping its distance and letting the fire continue to burn, emergency officials explained.

The fire service said it expects winds to further spread the blazes in the area before they can bring it under control.

The fire broke out on Friday, initially affecting 2.5 hectares, and clouds of smoke have since been visible across the region. Emergency workers say residents of surrounding villages are currently not in danger.

“It’s unusual to have a forest fire like this so early in the year,” forestry scientist Antje Wurz from a local wilderness foundation explained. Meteorologists and forestry experts have been raising the alarm of early forest fires across Germany due to unusually dry soil after little rain in the first half of the year.

Forest fires were also reported at the weekend in at least four German states, with blazes also reported in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Rheinland-Palatinate, while fires have also been reported in a national park on the Czech-German border.