There has been a fire in the Lieberoser Heide for days - once again. The ground is contaminated with ordnance from the Second World War. For the emergency services, there is therefore no approach to many small fires. Now the onset of rain gives them hope.
After a forest fire broke out in the Lieberoser Heide, the fire brigade continued to work during the night. According to the Lausitz regional control center, 172 firefighters have been deployed since morning. A large contingent of emergency services is planned for the day. Despite the rain that started during the night, the situation has not yet eased.
"The rain should get heavier during the day, it's difficult to estimate whether the quantities will be sufficient," said the Lausitz fire brigade. "However, we assume that the situation will improve towards Friday." The somewhat lower temperatures also favor extinguishing work.
The Brandenburg forest fire protection officer Raimund Engel told the RBB that so far only little water had come from the sky. Heavy rains are not expected until evening. Because the ground in the burning area is contaminated with World War II ammunition and the emergency services cannot get close enough to the source of the fire, only precipitation can completely extinguish the fire, Engel said.
Currently, 86 hectares are affected by the fire. "The current situation is stable, there were no further spreads during the night," said a spokeswoman for the Dahme-Spreewald district in the morning. "The ground is still very hot, but there are hardly any open flames left."
In addition to two Federal Police helicopters already in use, two other Bundeswehr helicopters are to support the emergency services on site in extinguishing the fire. An additionally requested task force from Potsdam-Mittelmark should also help.
