Wildfires devastate Brandenburg
One week on, wildfires at an army training site near Jüterbog have yet to be extinguished. Dark clouds billowing from the area are visible from more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) away and the destruction is enormous.
Fighting a massive fire with a tiny stream of water
The wildfire began burning at the Jüterbog military training area outside Berlin on May 31. Though firefighters thought they had it under control at the beginning of the week, they say strong winds rekindled it. Some 90 firefighters have been using 25 trucks to battle the blaze day and night since it began. Aircraft are also being used in the fight to get the blaze under control.
A forest graveyard
Only a hint of green remains now that the flames have transformed the forest into a veritable lunar landscape burying trunks and branches under of tons of ash. According to officials in Jüterbog, some 656 hectares (1,621 acres) of forest have already been destroyed.
Difficult firefighting work
On Wednesday (7.6.2023), helicopters dumped roughly 90,000 liters (23,775 gallons) of water on the blaze. But fighting the fire on the ground is being made extremely difficult by the fact that there are so many munitions on the site. Firefighters cannot simply move into the forest but must strictly stick to marked trails.
'Not out of control'
Cuts through the forest are intended to keep fires from spreading to other areas. On Monday, authorities also began removing pines — considered more flammable than other trees in the area — in order to widen such paths. According to the Brandenburg Wilderness Foundation, which owns the property, "the situation is not out of control."
Monitoring from above
Drones are also being used to measure and monitor fire and smoke from above. Drone imagery allows firefighters to see how a fire is moving. It also helps those fighting a blaze from above keep it from escaping its perimeter.
Keep it contained
Fighting a blaze from the skies is intended to do one thing above all, to dampen the intensity of the fire. "Inside the main area, the fire is pretty much left to itself," said Brandenburg Wilderness Foundation Manager Andreas Meissen referring to the current strategy. Firefighters are, however, using sprinkler systems to keep paths wet and the fire from moving into other areas.
The long shadow of smoke clouds
Massive smoke clouds from the area, visible as far away as Berlin — some 30 kilometers away (19 miles) — are blocking the sun and creating their own shadows. On Thursday, many residents in and around Potsdam called hotlines to alert authorities at the Brandenburg fire department that they could smell smoke.
Attention: Risk of death
High temperatures and dry conditions have led to an extreme threat of wildfire. Officials in Jüterbog say firefighting efforts will continue for several more days. On Sunday and Monday several munitions exploded in the site, which has been blocked from public access since June 5.