- Fire control achieved at previous military drill site
A blaze that once raged on a erstwhile drilling site near Jüterbog in Brandenburg has now been tamed. Officials from the regional command center in Brandenburg an der Havel announced that the flames have been contained. A conference is set for tomorrow to determine potential next moves, including possibly deploying federal law enforcement and military personnel with helicopters for fire extinguishing operations.
The flames ignited on a Friday without a known cause, engulfing roughly 8 to 9 hectares of land. Thankfully, no nearby settlements have been compromised along the federal highway B102 between Altes Lager and Klausdorf.
Firefighting operations took a brief pause overnight. The area was doused with water, in part with assistance from a firefighting helicopter, minimizing the risk of the blaze growing. Staff from the Stiftung Naturlandschaften Brandenburg kept a watchful eye on the situation. The initial news broke via rbb24.
During June 2023, firefighters battled wildfires for several days on the very same erstwhile drilling site, due to the presence of outdated munitions buried beneath the surface. This limited the firefighters' abilities to directly reach the fire's origin.
The entire affected zone covered more than 7 square kilometers last year, as reported by the incident command.
The firefighting efforts involved not only local authorities but also the German federal forces, given the complexity and scale of the blaze in Germany.
After containing the fire, authorities will conduct a thorough investigation in Germany to determine the exact cause of the explosion and subsequent blaze.
