Wernigerode (dpa/sa) – The fire on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains has been further contained. “There are only a few embers left,” said a spokesman for the Harz district on Friday. Now the disaster has also been declared over. Other emergency services and firefighting helicopters were also withdrawn. In addition, the closure of the Brocken plateau and the Schierke area have been lifted. According to the district, around 200 people were on duty on Friday morning.
The fire was discovered on Saturday on a hiking trail popular with tourists near the Goethebahnhof vantage point. Because of the inaccessible terrain, seven fire-fighting helicopters and two fire-fighting planes fought the flames, which had meanwhile spread to 160 hectares. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
