The largest fire in the recorded history of Germany’s state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been brought under control. The fire started last week and was thought to have been suppressed on Friday, but on Sunday it either flared up again or was reignited by an arsonist, authorities said.
Below is an excerpt from DW.com:
“We have the fire under control now,” said district administrator Stefan Sternberg. The fire has been contained on all sides, he added. Of the 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) affected, 700 hectares were still burning, Sternburg said on Wednesday morning. The reduction was partially due to the lower temperatures overnight and it was possible some fires could be fanned by higher, daytime temperatures.
The fires had been contained by creating avenues and pathways between wooded areas. There was some concern Wednesday that winds could cause the fires to move over the gaps.With more than 2,000 firefighters and rescue crews working around the clock, the military commander in the state said emergency forces were “going from defense to offense” to extinguish the fire. Armored recovery vehicles were deployed to clear paths through the forest for firefighters, who have had to take extra precautions to avoid the old munitions. Up to eight firefighting helicopters supported the operation.
The fire burned in an area that was bombed heavily during World War II and still has ammunition, mines, grenades and explosives. Since then the military has used the area for training, adding still more unexploded ordnance.
The video below is narrated in German, but non-German speakers can skip through and view interesting scenes of firefighting in Europe.
I feel for those guys. What a mop up nightmare. Lots of forest litter, tree die back and military ordinance to work around.