Overview
- The fire, which ignited on Friday, Aug. 14, expanded over a weekend to about 3,000 hectares of peatland and forest in the High Fens nature reserve.
- Hundreds of firefighters, military personnel, local farmers and international crews encircled the blaze to halt its eastward advance toward Germany, and evacuation orders for border communities have been lifted.
- Aerial water drops from EU Civil Protection aircraft were used when weather allowed, though low clouds repeatedly grounded planes and helicopters and limited their effectiveness.
- Officials warn the blaze will need prolonged suppression because peat can smoulder underground and reignite, so crews will continue weeks to months of soaking, monitoring and targeted extinguishing.
- New research from the Potsdam Institute projects large increases in European burned area by 2100 under warming scenarios, underscoring that hotter, drier summers will raise wildfire risk unless emissions fall and firefighting investment rises.