Sarow (dpa/mv) – A combine harvester burned down near Sarow (Mecklenburg Lake District) during the harvest. The driver was not injured, the damage caused is estimated at 250,000 euros, as the police announced on Tuesday. The fire broke out directly at the combine harvester, said a police spokeswoman. The cause of the fire is a technical defect or a rockfall with flying sparks while threshing.

The alarmed fire brigades could not save the expensive harvesting machine, but they could prevent the fire from spreading further on the dry field south of Demmin.

The risk of wildfires in the north-east, meanwhile, has fallen following the weekend’s rainfall. Forest fire warning levels 2 (low risk) and 3 (medium risk) apply in all forest offices. The scale includes five warning levels.