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Saxony Weighs Targeted Ordnance Clearance in Gohrischheide After July Wildfire

Prohibitive costs push the state toward examining only access‑focused clearance for future fires.

Overview

  • Interior minister Breitenbruch says a full clearance is excluded on cost grounds, citing roughly €1 million per hectare.
  • Options under review include continuous firebreaks through the area and protection strips near housing and roads to let crews approach fires more safely.
  • Sachsenforst is drafting an open‑ended concept that assesses routes such as the S89, visitor and cycle paths, and newly planned fire protection lanes.
  • The minister does not expect a decision this year, with the evaluation of selective measures still in progress.
  • Prosecutors believe munitions ignited the July blaze, and the Greens demand a statewide strategy and public mapping as the EOD service remains reactive and risk‑prioritized; more than 2,100 tonnes of ordnance have been recovered since 2012.