Sebnitz/Bad Schandau (dpa/sa) - A forest fire that broke out in the Czech National Park Bohemian Switzerland is spreading in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. For the communities of Sebnitz and Bad Schandau, the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office triggered a preliminary stage to the disaster alarm on Monday, as a spokesman announced in the evening. There are currently three larger deployment sites in the Saxon Switzerland National Park, at the Großer Winterberg restaurant, on the Kipphorn and on the Kleiner Winterberg.
According to current knowledge, no residential areas are currently affected by the fire in Saxon Switzerland. Buildings did not have to be evacuated, hikers or forest visitors did not have to be brought to safety, as the spokesman said. "Our big problem is the wind," he said, referring to the spread of the fire. The German Weather Service has announced thunderstorms with wind peaks of up to 36 kilometers per hour for the night. The extinguishing work would probably last until Tuesday. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Around 250 forces from 24 fire departments are currently deployed with 39 vehicles to extinguish the fire in the impassable, rocky area. A helicopter from the state police and a helicopter from the federal police, which is equipped with a water tank for extinguishing work from the air, are in use. In addition, two police water cannons are on their way to Bad Schandau, each of which can carry 10,000 liters of water. The so-called disaster alert serves to organize the operations.
