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Forest fire at Germany's Brocken mountain spreads

September 4, 2022

The blaze, which broke out on the southern side of the mountain, spread from 60 to 130 hectares in a matter of hours. Waterbomber aircraft from Italy, Austria and Switzerland are set to join the firefighting force.

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A view of trees in the Brocken mountain burning on September 4th, 2022
The fire is still not under control, according to local officialsImage: Matthias Bein/dpa/picture alliance

A forest fire near the Brocken mountain, northern Germany's highest peak, has spread extensively over the past few hours, officials said Sunday evening.

The blaze broke out on Saturday afternoon on the southern side of the mountain, which sits in the Harz National Park, sparking the evacuation of hundreds of tourists.

What's the latest?

Public broadcaster MDR said the fire had more than doubled in just a few hours on Sunday from around 60 to 130 hectares (150 to 320 acres) and was expected to spread further.

This compares with Saturday evening, just a few hours after the blaze started when it was reported to have covered just four hectares.

The fire is "not under control," Thomas Balcerowski, the administrator in the district of Harz, said.

Balcerowski said that the fire would likely take several days to extinguish but that the nearby town of Schierke is not at risk.

District fire chief Kai-Uwe Lohse said the affected area was difficult to reach due to a 30 to 45-degree slope.

Local media reported that some 300 firefighters and five helicopters have been battling the blaze.

A firefighting helicopter drops water on a forest fire at the Brocken mountain in northern Germany on September 4, 2022
Firefighting helicopters are dropping water on the blaze, with other aircraft set to join the operationImage: Christian Butt/nordwestmedia/NMW/dpa/picture alliance

Two more helicopters from private operators in Austria and Switzerland were set to join the operation.

Two firefighting planes from Italy also arrived on Sunday evening, officials said, each with the ability to drop 6,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of water.

The state command of the Bundeswehr armed forces also said it would send a firefighting helicopter.

The speedy spread of the fire prompted a wider area around the summit to be closed to the public.

Police said the Brocken area would remain out of bounds until further notice.

Meteorologist Alexander König warned that increasing winds could significantly worsen the blaze over the next two days. He added that no rain was forecast.

Second fire in weeks

The blaze is the second to hit the 1,141-meter-high Brocken mountain area, which sits in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Three weeks ago, a fire broke out in the wider national park, destroying about 13 hectares of land.

mm/wd (AFP, MDR)