Forest fires spread across Germany: 2022 set to break Germany's wildfire record | DW News

Wildfires in eastern Germany have triggered a "disaster alert" and prompted local officials to plan for evacuations on Tuesday. The fires come amid extreme dry conditions across Germany and on the heels of a punishing heat wave.

What is the fire situation in Germany?
A blaze in the northeastern state of Brandenburg has created what a fire brigade spokesperson called a "very tense" situation. More than 150 firefighters are struggling to bring the conflagration covering some 800 hectares under control. About 600 residents were being evacuated from their homes. Local forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase said that the fire was particularly hard to contain around the town of Rehfeld owing to strong winds. He said the military had been called out to aid the firefighters. Local officials say at least seven emergency personnel have been injured during the operation, with six taken to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile in the eastern state of Saxony, a fire that began in the Czech Republic in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park has spread to the German side of the border. German firefighting units have been called in to help their Czech counterparts douse the flames. On the German side, the fire is affecting the adjoining region of Saxon Switzerland, where officials have issued a "disaster alert" for the area.

What is the fire situation in the Czech Republic?
The fire in the Czech Republic, covering about 30 hectares (74 acres), broke out at the weekend in the area known as Bohemian Switzerland, destroying houses and forcing authorities to evacuate villages. Firefighters suspect a campfire that was left unattended may have sparked the blaze. Smoke has drifted across the country, including to the capital, Prague, located some 130 miles (209 kilometers) away. The fire, which had been under control, flared up again as the wind direction changed.

Europe on fire
A heat wave last week that saw temperatures rise to above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) led to wildfires breaking out in many regions of southern Europe. In Greece, forested areas continue to burn, with officials warning of high fire danger on Tuesday. A forest fire in the southern part of the island of Lesbos has already destroyed around 1,700 hectares of land.

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[digitalhermit]

Delay is the new denial. The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the next best time today. Action needs to be taken immediately

[chrispremium]

Well... we are screwed. The next decades will be interesting.

[philippvoid]

we can thank the CDU for 14 years of negligence

[stephenr]

I know those forests what a disaster i love them, peace from spain people from germany

[safisiddiqui]

Majority of news that I have heard this year is about droughts, melting glaciers, lack of rain, and drying rivers. The effects of climate change are in full swing. All Nations must unite and take actions immediately.

[freeheeler]

I'm in the Western US. I have time to post here today because I'm evacuated from my house near Yosemite by yet another wildfire.

My sympathies are with my brothers and sisters in Germany who are also being harmed by the climate crisis.

[aerialcombat]

with water shortages we'll have to expect infighting as much as external conflict

[lenzp]

good that nobody builds a giant factory in brandenburg which would need horrendous amounts of water, eg for car batterys.. oh wait..

[jessefisher]

Germany is going back to coal at a time like this. How depressing. Whats life going to be like in 20, 40 years?

[busysaru]

All carbon industry should immediately be nationalised to pay for these disasters and become public goods and run like Norway as done.

[davidwatson]

Wow, it's like the earth is getting hotter. Who could have guessed that!

[susanschaffner]

Oh, no. We are experiencing the same in California. So, sorry, Deutschland.

[Dan-jgzl]

Europe better pray for a wet winter because if the rains don't fall and next summer is record breaking, I dread to think the situation we are going to be in.

[inezdreyer]

Everywhere pine trees, they are not naturally growing in areas below 800m. But they have been planted for commercial reasons, low water ist not because oft the climat but because of a bad water management and too much water used for the industry and by private households. Groundwater leves are known for dropping for decades. And no one cared. There have made so many mistakes in the past, that the climate can have such an impact. It could have prevented years ago.

[tosa]

As long as the groundwater is lowered for lignite mining, one need not wonder why rivers in the region dry up.

[Bronxter]

You shouldn´t forget to mention the new tesla gigafactory....they use so much water in

[oliverheinen]

"Look around you. There is so much water in this region“ - Elon Musk

[osakar]

Great that Germany turned off it's co2 neutral nuclear plants and is now burning coal/gas :)

[Carewolf]

That is a problem. These forests are intentionally left unmanaged, and full of dead wood left all over the forest floor.

[karenneill]

We’ve been borrowing from the Earth’s future, and the bill is coming due.