Jabel (dpa/mv) - At temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius, a largely harvested grain field near Jabel (Mecklenburg Lake District) caught fire on Monday. About 40 firefighters were still able to prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring trees or forests, a police spokeswoman said. Nevertheless, due to strong gusts of wind, the flames had spread to around seven hectares.
Rockfall in an agricultural machine was given as the cause of the fire, which led to flying sparks and ignition. Falling rocks when baling straw or mowing are considered a frequent cause of fires during the harvest season. Nobody got hurt. The damage is estimated at several thousand euros, the machine is said not to have been damaged.
Due to the lack of rain, the risk of forest fires in southern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has increased. The highest warning level five was announced on Monday in the Mirow forestry office (Mecklenburg Lake District), which includes large parts of the Müritz National Park and the forests near Jabel.
In the six surrounding forestry offices up to Northwest Mecklenburg there is already a high risk of fire, i.e. the second highest warning level four. Warning level 3, i.e. medium danger, only applies in the Baltic Sea regions of Bad Doberan, Rostock and in the district of Vorpmmern-Rügen.
