A major forest fire broke out in Berlin on Thursday morning after an explosion at a police ammunition depot, the fire department said, stressing that its employees were struggling to control the situation.
Firefighters confirmed that “there is a fire in the Grunewald forest” in the west of the city and “there are explosions.” “The fire spread over an area of 15,000 square meters, first at the police ammunition and explosives storage and disposal site, and then into the surrounding forest,” she added. “The situation is not clear and the fire continues to spread uncontrollably in the forest,” an AFP spokesman said. Firefighters were unable to intervene immediately due to the danger of an explosion. They were stationed in the area of one kilometer from the ammunition depot, where several explosions were heard. The Berlin region is experiencing a severe drought.
A large forest fire in July burned more than 850 hectares in the south of Brandenburg, in the vicinity of the capital. In the south, rescuers are still battling a fire in Bohemian Switzerland that started in the Czech Republic and then spread to Germany. A new heat wave is affecting Germany, like the rest of Europe.
Much of the country is experiencing “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, according to the Institute for Environmental Research, including Berlin. Scientists say recurring heatwaves are clear evidence of a warming climate, given that these waves are expected to increase, lengthen and intensify. Rising temperatures and the spread of heat waves and drought create favorable conditions for forest or forest fires to break out.
