Overview

• Both the Gohrischheide and Saalfelder Höhe blazes are fully contained with no remaining hotspots after recent heavy rainfall.
• The Gohrischheide reserve remains closed until August 12 as safety crews remove unexploded munitions and equipment before returning the land to state and federal owners.
• The Saalfelder Höhe fire was officially extinguished on July 14, and the roughly 250-hectare area is off-limits to deter disaster tourists through the end of August.
• Firefighting efforts were hindered by subsurface ordnance, forcing crews to keep a 1,000-meter distance and rely on aerial drops and ground-based sprinkler systems.
• Experts expect the burned forests to regenerate quickly with forecasted rainfall, drawing on recovery patterns from previous local wildfires.