Oybin (dpa/sn) - The forest fire near the Saxon spa town of Oybin has been extinguished. "Currently, individual embers are still being fought, but the situation is relaxed," said district fire chief Björn Mierisch on Saturday morning. About 20 firefighters worked the soil with pickaxes and shovels to deeply water it and stop the fire from spreading. Mierisch assumes that the mission can be completed this weekend. The blockade of the place was lifted on Saturday night.
The fire broke out on Friday morning at a level crossing near Oybin train station. The wind quickly carried the flames away and engulfed the wooded area. Because the terrain was impassable and rocky, the 160 emergency services were initially unable to get to the source of the fire and had to wait hours for a fire-fighting helicopter. But they had kept the fire at bay from the sides.
The health resort was cordoned off on Friday morning and all access roads were blocked by the police. Only residents and vacationers who already have accommodation came in. With the use of the fire-fighting helicopter by the Thuringian police, which could drop up to 400 liters of water, the work progressed quickly. Two firefighters were injured in the operation.
