Jasnitz/Malchin (dpa/mv) – Shortly before the Ascension Day weekend, the risk of forest fires in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which had been high for a long time, dropped significantly. As the State Forestry Institute Malchin (Mecklenburg Lake District) announced on Wednesday, the cause is rain showers of varying strength. This puts the national warning levels back at one and two, which means little danger. Forest fire warning level three, which means “medium danger”, only applies in the Sandhof forestry office near Parchim. There are five warning levels in total.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania it was far too dry in March, April and up to mid-May. As a result, warning level four had to be declared in some parts of the country for weeks and small forest and wasteland fires broke out. The “high risk of fire” was in the forestry offices of Bad Doberan (Rostock district), Jasnitz and Sandhof (Ludwigslust-Parchim) as well as Neubrandenburg and Torgelow (West Pomerania-Greifswald).

On Ascension Day, groups often go on excursions in the countryside in many parts of the country. The regulatory authorities regularly call for caution here – especially when grilling outdoors.