Overview

• A field fire ignited around 40 hay bales beside Autobahn 2 near Peine this morning, sending dense smoke over the roadway and reducing visibility for motorists.
• Stadtfeuerwehr Peine mobilized about 50 firefighters who used a wheel loader to pull apart the tightly packed bales for more effective firefighting.
• Operations are projected to continue for several more hours as crews work to fully extinguish hot spots and prevent rekindling.
• Police and fire department investigators have opened an inquiry into the cause of the fire, which remains undetermined.
• This incident follows a string of heat-driven agricultural and wildland blazes that have stretched Germany’s emergency response resources this summer.