Overview
- The wildfire broke out Saturday in the Gohrischheide near the former airfield and old bunker area and grew rapidly to about 19 hectares, according to local officials.
- Around 100 emergency personnel from Saxony and Brandenburg are on site but must remain on demunitioned paths because unexploded ordnance makes ground attacks unsafe.
- Authorities have requested a firefighting helicopter and a protected, armored firefighting vehicle to reach and contain hot spots that crews cannot access on foot.
- Operations are hindered by gusty winds, extreme heat and limited aerial reconnaissance after a drone was grounded by heat, complicating efforts to map the blaze and predict its spread.
- The incident revives debate over the former training area's long‑term danger and cost of clearance after investigators concluded last year’s 2,400‑hectare fire was caused by self‑ignition of buried munitions.