Fight against fire front

Fierce forest fire on the Brocken is spreading

Emergency services have been battling a fierce forest fire on the German Brocken since Friday.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Matthias Bein / dpa )

An extensive forest fire on the highest mountain in the German Harz National Park is to be fought intensively from the air and on the ground - with helicopters, airplanes and many firefighters. The blazing fire on the Brocken, which has been blazing since Friday, is not under control and is spreading unchecked. Many fire spots have merged and a larger fire front has developed.

Neither the district nor the police and fire department wanted to give any further details until early this morning. Head of operations Immo Kramer told the German Press Agency: "The THW (German Federal Agency for Technical Relief) is in the process of building paths and preparing a bridge so that the operation can continue on the ground in daylight."

Sprinklers to stop the flames
Sprinklers are being used along important paths to distribute several thousand liters of water per minute so that the flames do not advance any further. According to Kramer, four fire-fighting aircraft and six fire-fighting helicopters have been requested for Saturday. During the night, some firefighters had to retreat because the fire jumped over individual protective strips.

Two years ago, the district of Harz had declared a state of emergency due to a fire on the Brocken. As then, the Königsberg - a side peak of the Brocken - is now affected again.

Around 500 people were evacuated
Around 500 people were evacuated from the Brocken to safety by bus on Friday afternoon. They were tourists, hikers and sportspeople, said a spokesperson for the Harz district. The path to the Brocken is one of the most popular hiking trails in the Harz National Park. The area is generally very difficult to access.

There is currently no danger for the popular tourist town of Schierke, which is a few kilometers away from the fire area, said Kramer. The wind is not driving the fire front towards the village. "We're not worried about that."

Area remains closed
The entire area in the national park remains closed and all events around the Brocken have been canceled, the district announced. The population was also asked to keep roads and access routes around Schierke and the Brocken clear and not to obstruct the emergency services.

The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB) announced that the line between Drei Annen Hohne and the Brocken was closed due to the forest fire. There are considerable delays. The town of Wernigerode and the district of Harz formed a joint task force at Brocken.