A pig fattening facility in the Kölsa settlement also burned down. "A large number of animals died," said the district.
The authorities had declared a major damage situation in the afternoon. The fire, which broke out for initially unknown reasons in a forest area with wind turbines, spread quickly, driven by violent gusts of wind. An area of more than 100 hectares was initially affected, but the area increased to around 800 hectares over the course of the day and evening.
"The major fire continues to spread dynamically," warned the district. The gusts of wind would make the extinguishing work "significantly" more difficult and sometimes even "impossible". Fighting the fire could take several days. According to the information, the village of Marxdorf may also have to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, a forest fire that broke out in the Czech National Park Bohemian Switzerland spread to German territory. From the area of the Prebischtor in the Czech Republic, the fire spread at great speed to the Saxon Switzerland National Park, the responsible district office in Pirna announced on Monday evening. For the municipalities of Sebnitz and Bad Schandau, the district office triggered a disaster warning.
A total of 250 firefighters and 39 vehicles were on site for the large-scale operation. They were supported, among other things, by two helicopters from the state and federal police. According to the district office, the operation was difficult because the area is inaccessible and there was a strong wind. According to the German weather service, wind peaks of up to 36 kilometers per hour were expected for the night.
The forest fire broke out in the Czech Republic on Sunday morning. On Monday, several dozen people were evacuated from a tourist resort, a scout camp and the villages of Mezna and Mezni Louka in the area on the border with Germany, according to Czech fire department spokesman Milan Rudolf.
No one has been injured by the fire so far, but Czech Environment Minister Anna Hubackova spoke of a "critical" situation on Twitter. 46 fire brigade units were deployed in the Czech Republic on Monday.
