Firefighters in Germany are being forced to stand by and watch blazes spread rapidly south of Berlin as a former military training area laced with dangerous old munitions went up in flames over the weekend after an unusually dry spring.
In what is now a nature reserve home to rare animal species, fire has swept through an area of around 113 hectares – equivalent to roughly 160 football pitches – near the Brandenburg town of Jüterbog, municipal authorities said on Sunday.
Because the old munitions in the ground make a direct firefighting operation too dangerous, the fire brigade is keeping its distance and letting the fire continue to burn, emergency officials explained.
The fire service said it expects winds to further spread the blazes in the area before they can bring it under control.
The fire broke out on Friday, initially affecting 2.5 hectares, and clouds of smoke have since been visible across the region. Emergency workers say residents of surrounding villages are currently not in danger.
“It’s unusual to have a forest fire like this so early in the year,” forestry scientist Antje Wurz from a local wilderness foundation explained. Meteorologists and forestry experts have been raising the alarm of early forest fires across Germany due to unusually dry soil after little rain in the first half of the year.
Forest fires were also reported at the weekend in at least four German states, with blazes also reported in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Rheinland-Palatinate, while fires have also been reported in a national park on the Czech-German border.
From munitions to rare grasshoppers
According to the wilderness foundation responsible for the area, the site was used for military purposes from the 19th century until the 1990s. After that, nature developed largely undisturbed. Munitions have been cleared from parts of the area, and hiking trails have also been laid out.
Over the past 35 years, rare species have settled on the former military site, according to the Wilderness Foundation, including wild bees, grasshoppers and lizards.
“It’s always the same dilemma,” said Chief Fire Officer Rico Walentin. He is familiar with the forest fires on former military training grounds from previous years.
In 2023, a fire raged across around 700 hectares near Jüterbog. The town in the district of Teltow-Fläming lies south of Berlin and on the border with Saxony-Anhalt.
Firebreaks slowing the fire
In the forest fire area, the fire brigade is relying on the network of firebreaks, each around 50 metres wide. These clearings have little vegetation – meaning little combustible vegetation – and sandy paths.
The fire moves towards these strips and then dies out on its own, Chief Fire Officer Walentin explained. “It works.” That is why only a few firefighters are on site. A new survey of the burnt area using a drone is due to take place on Monday.
City fire chief Walentin is now hoping for plenty of rain, however. Precipitation is not expected until Tuesday, he said.
Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Woidke praised the efforts of the firefighters. “The forest fire season is beginning – we can rely on our emergency services. Thank you!” he said, according to an Instagram post by the State Chancellery in Potsdam.