Rampaging German wildfires threaten unexploded Second World War ammunition in Brandenburg

Gusty winds spread deadly blazes along East German-Czech border, forcing hundreds to flee

Firefighters in Brandenburg continue to fight a large forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district. AP

Tourists and residents were being evacuated from the eastern German state of Brandenburg on Tuesday, as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain huge blazes in the bone dry and densely forested region — a task compounded by the threat of Second World War ammunition that is still buried there.

A large fire in the Elbe-Elster district has already destroyed an area of about 850 hectares and continued to spread quickly as gusty winds blew from changing directions.

Seven firefighters were injured, four of whom had to be treated in hospital for smoke inhalation. No residents were injured, but a pig breeding farm burnt down and several animals died.

The state’s explosive ordnance disposal service has designated a small area near the village of Rehfeld as a site where old ammunition could be buried, deputy forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase told German news agency dpa.

Two German military firefighting helicopters were on site trying to extinguish the flames from the air because firefighters were not allowed to access the area for fear that the ammunition could explode.

Authorities said it was not clear when the fire could be brought under control. More than 350 firefighters were battling the flames and about 300 people from various villages had to be evacuated.

“The situation is still serious. We still have pockets of fire”, local district fire chief Steffen Ludewig told dpa.

Unusually high temperatures have sparked wildfires across Europe in recent weeks with Greece, Spain, France and even the UK affected.

Further south-east, firefighters from several countries have joined forces to battle a fire in a national park in northern Czech Republic that has spread to the state of Saxony in neighbouring Germany.

The fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park broke out on Sunday and was mostly contained before windy weather caused it to spread again on Monday afternoon and overnight. Firefighters said about 30 hectares have been affected in the park and more across the border in Germany.

So far, no injuries have been reported.

Hrensko evacuation as Czech Republic struggles to douse flames

About 80 people have been evacuated from the border town of Hrensko, and more from the village of Mezna, where the flames destroyed or damaged several homes, firefighter spokesman Lukas Marvan said.

Dozens of German children were evacuated from a summer camp on the Czech side of the border and transported back to Germany.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan were visiting the area on Tuesday.

Mr Rakusan said about 400 firefighters were fighting the “serious” conflagration and that several neighbouring countries had responded to the Czech Republic’s call for help to extinguish the fire.

Poland and Slovakia said they were sending helicopters while Italy offered special Canadair planes designed for firefighting.

The German military announced it would send four helicopters to the border region to help fight the flames, dpa reported.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said smoke had spread 100 or more kilometres from the fire.

Europe on fire — in pictures