A major fire rages through a wind farm in Brandenburg. It spreads over 100 hectares. The town of Rehfeld is then evacuated, and hundreds of people leave their homes. At the same time, firefighters are fighting the flames in the national park in the Czech Republic, on the border with Saxony.
A large forest and field fire broke out south of Rehfeld in Brandenburg – a wind farm was affected. The fire spread from initially 10 hectares in the early afternoon to around 100 hectares within a very short time, as the district announced. The fire was classified as a major damage situation, so the district took over the management of the operation.
The first residents of neighboring villages had to leave their homes. The administrative staff of the district ordered the evacuation of Rehfeld in the early evening. Around 200 people were affected. The fire continues to spread dynamically and has now moved up to 150 meters to the Rehfeld location, the district said.
The situation was very confusing due to the strong wind, reported the deputy forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase. According to him, there is a fire in the forest between wind turbines, at least one system is within the fire area, other wind turbines are at risk. There is a lot of smoke that can be seen from afar, Haase described.
Meanwhile, emergency services were also fighting a forest fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic. More than 150 firefighters with 54 vehicles were on site to fight the flames despite the impassable terrain, according to a spokesman for the Czech professional fire brigade. Help also arrived from Germany. Strong winds fanned the fire again and again.
In the afternoon, around 80 people were brought to safety from the area of ??the Prebischtor, a rock formation popular with tourists. In addition, a scout camp in Dolsky Mlyn with around 60 participants was cleared. The fire has now spread to the German side of the border, the Czech authorities said.
A fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters from the police and army were deployed. Water had to be brought in over long distances with hoses and pumps. The road between Hrensko and Mezna and the so-called Mühlenweg, a hiking trail, remained closed. The boat trips in the Kamnitzklamm, a rocky gorge, which are popular with tourists, have been suspended.
The Czech Environment Minister Anna Hubackova got an idea of ??the situation on site. The 64-year-old attended a crisis meeting in the border town of Hrensko. The situation is critical, the politician then wrote on Twitter. The forest fire broke out on Sunday morning over an area of ??around seven hectares. After the fire was initially brought under control, embers flared up again overnight.
The smoke can still be seen from a great distance. According to the information, no one has been injured so far. The hard-to-reach terrain made extinguishing the fire difficult. The cause has not yet been determined – it is suspected that negligence could have led to the fire. Again and again, visitors do not comply with the camping ban in the national park or make illegal campfires. Added to this are dryness and drought. The Bohemian Switzerland National Park borders directly on the Saxon Switzerland on the German side.