Detmold (dpa / lnw) - In Ostwestfalen-Lippe, forests will be checked for possible fires by plane in the coming days. Two flights each are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Detmold district government announced on Monday. In the area - as in almost all other regions of North Rhine-Westphalia - the second highest level of the forest fire risk index of the German Weather Service prevails. The highest warning level even applies in the west and south-west of Cologne.
The NRW Interior Ministry ordered the flights, the district government said. Such flights were last seen in Ostwestfalen-Lippe in August 2020 and before that in 2011. The flight route is a "zigzag course" around the Senne, large moor areas and all forest areas. Also on board is a member of the fire brigade and the regional forest office. Everywhere there are many dead trees or those that have been damaged by the bark beetle, said Philipp Mantel, head of the district government's emergency response.
Barbecues and open fires are strictly forbidden in the forest, and smoking is currently also prohibited. In addition, you should only park your car on paved areas. In addition to the forest fire risk index, the so-called grassland fire index is also at a high level due to the drought in NRW.
