Firefighters battle wildfire in Gohrischheide as wind and heat hinder containment

Story Timeline
8 hours · 2 summary articles
Firefighters battle wildfire in Gohrischheide as wind and heat hinder containment
Fast-moving wildfire near Dresden forces firefighters to deploy heavy air assets
Continuation
More than 200 firefighters battled through the night in Gohrischheide, Brandenburg, as wind and record heat hampered efforts to contain a fast-moving wildfire that has already scorched several hectares of forest and threatens to flare up again on Sunday. Firefighters held the fire line overnight, but officials warned that shifting winds could reignite smouldering pockets and force further evacuations in the sparsely populated region near the Saxon border.
The blaze broke out on Saturday afternoon in dense pine and mixed woodland south-east of Gohrisch village, close to the former military training area of Zeithain. By nightfall the fire had jumped containment lines and advanced toward the A14 autobahn, prompting authorities to close a 12-kilometre stretch between Oschatz and Dahlen. Firefighting aircraft were grounded for much of the evening because of high winds and temperatures that reached 36 °C, according to the Brandenburg fire service .
Overnight, 210 firefighters, four helicopters and heavy ground crews worked to secure the perimeter, but technical failures linked to the heat left some pumps and drones inoperable. “We managed to keep the fire from spreading further, but the wind is still our biggest enemy,” said Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen, who visited the command post in Riesa at dawn. Firefighters reported at least three flare-ups within the containment zone that were quickly brought under control.
Civil-protection officials said the blaze had already destroyed an estimated 45 hectares of forest and heathland, with hotspots persisting near the A14 and in a munitions-contaminated zone that was partially evacuated on Saturday. Explosions were heard as ordnance left over from Cold-War-era military exercises reignited in the heat, forcing bomb-disposal teams to suspend clearance operations .
Meteorologists forecast gusts of up to 50 km/h on Sunday afternoon, raising the risk of embers jumping containment lines. The German Weather Service has issued a “very high” fire-danger warning for Brandenburg and Saxony, the highest level on the five-tier scale. Firefighters plan to use bulldozers to widen mineralised firebreaks and deploy water-bombing helicopters as soon as wind speeds drop below 30 km/h.
Neighbouring Saxony has already mobilised 80 additional firefighters and two Canadair water bombers to stand by at Leipzig-Altenburg airport. “We are in a race against the weather,” said Saxony State Fire Director Uwe Wendt. “If the wind picks up again, we may have to reconsider road closures and precautionary evacuations.”
No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but authorities have asked residents in Gohrisch, Glaubitz and Riesa to keep windows closed because of dense smoke. The fire service expects the operation to continue through at least Monday, with reinforcements from Thuringia and Lower Saxony scheduled to arrive on Sunday evening.
Follow us for live European news
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
2 further sources not geolocated


:format(jpg)/f.elconfidencial.com%2Foriginal%2Ff20%2F789%2F549%2Ff20789549a177d21a73062ba685ad152.jpg)

