Neubrandenburg (dpa/mv) – A good month after the major fire in a boat shed in Neubrandenburg, the affected tenants still have to be patient with cleaning up. As Mayor Silvio Witt (independent) said on Wednesday, the clearing of the around 60 affected boat sheds not far from Lake Tollense will be able to begin in July at the earliest. The responsible environmental agencies require the city, as the property owner, to first come up with a remediation concept, for which an expert has already been commissioned. This also included the expert supervision of the work and water samples in order to avoid the entry of hazardous substances into the Oberbach and the neighboring Tollensesee.

On May 5, 54 boat sheds in the last two rows of the large facility, which includes around 400 storage options, burned down. Several other boat sheds were badly damaged, with damage estimated at 1.2 million euros. The police are investigating the intentional arson, but so far have not been able to find any suspects. Since then, ruins from the fire have shaped the picture, many of the remains of the fire have also sunk, and oil barriers are intended to prevent drainage.

The Neubrandenburg city representatives want to discuss an application this Thursday that stipulates that boat sheds can be built there again. Witt had already promised the affected tenants this. However, a new system would also have to comply with the current fire protection regulations.

Since April there have been two other small fires at the other end of the facility, destroying more than 70 boat sheds in total. Arson is also being investigated here. Five shed owners had already had ruins demolished there at private expense.