For days, the emergency services have been fighting the devastating flames in Saxon Switzerland and on the border with Brandenburg. Prime Minister Kretschmer has now broken off his vacation - and got a first overview with the helicopter.
Bad Schandau (dpa/sn) - clouds of smoke, charred trees - and right in the middle emergency services fighting the flames: Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) took a helicopter reconnaissance flight on Friday evening to get an overview of the forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. Around 150 hectares are affected on the German side. "A huge area when you see it from above," says Kretschmer. For the on-site visit, Saxony's head of government, like Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU), who was also present at the visit to Bad Schandau on Friday evening, cut short his vacation.
"It will be days and weeks before we can talk about relaxation," said Kretschmer. He spoke of a "great and difficult task". The fire brigade and civil protection workers have been in suspense from a devastating fire in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains for days. A second rages on the Saxon-Brandenburg state border.
The mission will cost a lot of money, Kretschmer spoke of "many millions of euros." He promised financial help to the affected regions in the national park and in northern Saxony - including for reconstruction.
Around 400 emergency services were on Friday to fight the forest fire, as the spokesman for the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains, Thomas Kunz, said in the evening. In addition, eight helicopters were used, four more are expected for Saturday. Smaller fires could have been extinguished, for example on the other side of the Kirnitzsch river. In addition, additional emergency tanks filled with water were set up to extinguish the fire.
The forest fire in Saxon Switzerland is devastating, but on the German side it is less severe than previously assumed. With the help of satellite data, the areas of the fire could be narrowed down - to a total affected area of 150 hectares. So far, the authorities had assumed that the fire had spread over an area of 250 hectares.
During the on-site visit, Kretschmer thanked the emergency services of the fire brigade, federal police and armed forces for the days of work. If they stopped working, everything would burn down, emphasized Kretschmer. "It's a question of strength, who has the stamina, who gives up first." The federal government has also promised continued support with firefighting helicopters. "The only resource that is really useful here."
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) promised further support for the extinguishing work in Saxon Switzerland via Twitter. According to the federal police, more than 300,000 liters of water have been emptied using special transport containers. The helicopters will continue to be used in Saxony in the next few days, it said.
The tourist region of Saxon Switzerland is not only struggling with the forest fire, but also with numerous cancellations. Kretschmer urged people to still go on vacation in the popular hiking region. Every trip helps, emphasized Kretschmer. An area of around 1.5 square kilometers is affected by the forest fire - but Saxon Switzerland covers an area of more than 90 square kilometers.
After visiting Saxon Switzerland, Kretschmer wants to visit the forest fire area in northern Saxony on the border with Brandenburg on Saturday. Together with Interior Minister Armin Schuster, he wants to get an idea of the situation on the ground in Arzberg this afternoon.
