Pampow/Goldberg (dpa/mv) - Rockfalls and flying sparks have caused further crop fires in West Mecklenburg. As a police spokesman said on Wednesday, two straw balers caught fire on Tuesday evening in fields near Wendisch Waren near Goldberg and Pampow (Ludwigslust-Parchim). The tractor drivers were able to uncouple their tractors in time. Firefighters extinguished the fires. The total damage was estimated at around 200,000 euros.
In both cases, stones got into the harvesters, so flying sparks ignited the dry grain residues. After the grains have been threshed out, straw presses form the stalks of grain into large round or square bales.
Since the start of the barley harvest around a week ago, there have been at least six grain fires in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, including a fire in a 14-metre-high grain silo near Parchim. The total damage is estimated at around 500,000 euros, no one was injured.
