Eastern Germany Wildfires Injure Firefighters, Force Large Evacuations

Severe wildfires have been raging in eastern Germany, particularly in the Gohrischheide region on the border of Saxony and Brandenburg, where the fire has spread to an estimated 1000 hectares and caused mass evacuations. The fires are especially difficult to control due to the terrain being a former military training ground with unexploded ammunition, forcing firefighters to maintain a safe distance and complicating suppression efforts. Nearly 500 firefighters are involved in battling the blaze, which has seriously injured two firefighters and prompted emergency declarations in multiple districts. Evacuations have affected villages such as Heidehauser, Neudorf, and parts of Lichtensee, with residents receiving mobile alerts advising them to take essentials and use improvised respiratory protection. The fire threatens a large nature reserve home to rare animals and plants, and authorities have deployed a state police helicopter equipped with special cameras to detect embers and monitor the fire’s progression. Officials have urged travelers to avoid the region as the situation remains extremely dangerous and the fire continues to spread due to strong winds and dry vegetation.