Forest fire in Bohemian Switzerland and Saxon Switzerland – the most important things in brief
10:30 p.m .: Kretschmer: Largest forest fire in Saxon history
After Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer got an overview of the extent of the forest fires in Saxon Switzerland on Friday, he tweeted late in the evening that it was the largest forest fire in Saxon history. Thank you again to all the volunteers for their hard work.
8:53 p.m .: Good chance of rain in Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland
In Saxony there is hope for rain at the weekend. The German Weather Service (DWD) announced on Friday that the precipitation could bring relief from early Saturday. In Saxony, more than ten liters of rain per square meter could fall within twelve hours, which, according to the meteorologists, should “significantly” defuse the situation there. In turn, possible heavy rain could lead to a risk for emergency services on slopes such as in Saxon Switzerland.
According to Kachelmannwetter, the forecast looks more like little precipitation. Nevertheless, there is a chance of rain on Saturday in Saxon Switzerland, according to a tweet.
8:20 p.m .: Kretschmer on firefighting: “It will take days and weeks”
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer assumes that fighting the forest fire in Saxon Switzerland will take a long time. “It will take days and weeks before we can talk about relaxation,” said the CDU politician during his visit to Bad Schandau on Friday evening. The head of government spoke of a “big and difficult task”. The mission will cost a lot of money, Kretschmer spoke of “many millions of euros.” He assured the affected regions in the national park of financial aid – including for reconstruction.
In addition, Saxony’s head of government thanked the fire brigade, federal police and armed forces for their days of work. If they stopped working, everything would burn down, emphasized Kretschmer. “It’s a question of strength, who has the stamina, who gives up first.” The federal government has also promised continued support with firefighting helicopters. “The only resource that is really useful here.”
6:53 p.m .: Kretschmer landed again: “It breaks my heart to see Saxon Switzerland like this”
After almost half an hour, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) landed again. “It breaks my heart to see Saxon Switzerland like this,” he said afterwards. “We all know the region, have been here so often, have spent time here with our families and now you can see how much of the area the forest fire destroyed.” And further: “We have so many volunteers here, fire brigades from all over Saxony – nice to see that, we fight together, this is our home”. At a time when nature is becoming increasingly dry, one must also talk about how national parks can continue to exist, said Kretschmer. At the same time, Kretschmer called on people not to cancel vacations in Saxon Switzerland. Every trip helps the region. An area of around 1.5 square kilometers is affected by the forest fire – but Saxon Switzerland covers an area of more than 90 square kilometers.
When asked why he hadn’t broken off his vacation earlier, Kretschmer replied: “I decided to break off this vacation because 20 years ago, in the same spot at the high tide, I found out that you have to stand together.” This had been agreed with Interior Minister Schuster, who had already broken off his vacation on Tuesday – he was there when he was needed, according to Kretschmer.
Michael Kretschmer after landing
© Lea Heilmann
6:31 p.m .: Saxony’s Prime Minister flies over the fire area
A police helicopter has just taken off with Michael Kretschmer on board. The fire area in Saxon Switzerland is to be flown over by helicopter so that the Prime Minister can get an idea of the situation.
5:40 p.m.: Kretschmer and Schuster arrived in Bad Schandau
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) arrived in Saxon Switzerland, which was affected by a devastating forest fire, with Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) in the early evening to get an idea of the extent of the fire on site. In the situation center in Bad Schandau, he was introduced to the situation on site by emergency services.
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, together with Interior Minister Armin Schuster, visit Saxon Switzerland, which has been affected by a devastating forest fire.
© Lea Heilmann
4.40 p.m .: Saxony gets additional federal support
Saxony gets additional support from the Bundeswehr. Defense Minister Lambrecht and Interior Minister Faeser (both SPD) said on Friday after talks with Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU). There are currently 40 Bundeswehr soldiers deployed in Saxony.
4.30 p.m .: Riesaer THW moves out to Bad Schandau
Helpers from the Technical Relief Agency Riesa have now been called in to help with the forest fire in Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland. This was announced by the head of the local association, Danilo Fast. On Friday, five helpers were deployed to Bad Schandau.
The THW is to operate its two water transhipment points in the fire area. The big pools of water were only recently used in the forest fire in Gohrischheide, one was damaged. “It came back today from the repair and went straight out again,” explains Danilo Fast.
4:23 p.m .: The Czech fire brigade wants to switch to “attack”.
The Czech emergency services against the fires in Bohemian Switzerland want to change their tactics at the weekend. “We will switch from defending to attacking the fire,” said the chief of the Czech fire brigade, Vladimír Vlček, after talks with President Miloš Zeman. For this purpose, the around 400 firefighters fighting the fires will be strengthened by a further 250. It is no longer just about containing the fires, but about reducing the burning territory, Vlček said. So far, it has been possible to prevent the spread. However, the fires are not yet under complete control. The two fire-fighting planes that arrived in the Czech Republic from Sweden during the day have meanwhile started their operations over Bohemian Switzerland.
4.20 p.m .: Mayor of Bad Schandau thanks the helpers
Bad Schandau Mayor Thomas Kunack thanks all the helpers who have been in action for days and those who are still reporting. Not all offers can be accepted at the moment. It is important that these are coordinated. “There will come a time when we will need everyone,” he says. Some just came by and cleaned the toilets.
4:01 p.m .: Authority corrects affected forest fire area downwards
The forest fire in Saxon Switzerland is less extensive on the German side than previously assumed. “By evaluating the satellite data, the fire sites could be narrowed down in terms of area. A total of 150 hectares of affected area was then determined,” said the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district office on Friday. So far, the authorities had assumed that the fire had spread over an area of 250 hectares.
According to the district office, some new fire spots were discovered on Thursday evening. “The situation at the previously known sources of fire remains tense. During the day, the fire situation in the area is constantly monitored,” it said. More than 400 emergency services are currently fighting the forest fire. In addition to ten helicopters, two water cannons and a boat are also in use.
3:59 p.m .: Czech biologist: “Nature helps itself much better”
Lukáš Čížek, a biologist at the Czech Academy of Sciences, has qualified the thesis of a “catastrophe” or an “inferno” in connection with the fires in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. On the ČT24 TV channel, he said that in general, small fires are “quite useful”. Nature regenerates much faster than you think and is then better protected against larger fires. There are deciduous tree species that are very resilient. This includes, for example, the oak. The fires in the national parks would cause great damage, especially where there are entire spruce plantations. However, the spruce is not made for the drought that is increasing with climate change. “Large fires like the current one, however, pose a problem,” admitted the biologist. “But it would be wrong to believe that humans have to constantly intervene in nature. We don’t have to help nature in the event of fires, we have to help people.”