Overview
- Hesse reported 182 forest fires for 2026, burning about 58.5 hectares, a burned area almost four times larger than in 2025, the state forestry ministry said Friday.
- Saxony-Anhalt recorded 91 fires between March and the end of October that affected roughly 37 hectares of forest and about 62 hectares in total, with the most incidents in Landkreis Harz, Börde, Wittenberg and Altmarkkreis Salzwedel.
- Officials and agencies attribute the rise to extended dry spells and high temperatures that left forest floors and low vegetation highly flammable, increasing how fast fires spread after ignition.
- The two states report different cause patterns: Hesse says the vast majority of fires were human-caused while Saxony-Anhalt found 53 percent of cases had undetermined causes, about 30 percent were judged intentional and 11 percent due to carelessness.
- Responders say operations were strained by simultaneous, fast‑moving blazes and by fires in munitions‑affected areas; they are urging wider camera detection, more on‑site water storage and farmer–firefighter coordination to shore up capacity and protect communities and ecosystems.