Cologne/Detmold (dpa/lnw) - In the Cologne administrative district, the forests are now being checked for possible fires from the air. The Cologne district government had organized a forest fire surveillance flight and coordinated a flight route, the authority announced on Tuesday. Previously, the regional forest offices were asked about their assessment of the risk of forest fires. Because of the high temperatures, the risk of grass and forest fires is increasing sharply.
Flights were also planned in Ostwestfalen-Lippe on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Detmold district government announced on Monday. In NRW, the highest level 5 applies in places for a "very high" risk of forest fire. The other regions in North Rhine-Westphalia were classified as level 4 - a "high" risk was therefore seen there.
On Monday, the Ministry of the Interior issued a decree requesting all government districts to carry out such surveillance flights. Whether and how exactly it is flown is a matter for the districts.
