Brandenburg forest fires force evacuation
A local mayor has said that while the region has often had forest fires, they have never been of this magnitude. The fire has spread to the size of 400 football fields.
Villages evacuated
The fires began on Thursday and soon threatened three villages in the state of Brandenburg, outside Berlin. The towns of Klausdorf and Tiefenbrunnen were evacuated, with locals either fleeing to the homes of friends and relatives or being housed in local shelters. Residents in the village of Frohnsdorf were allowed to return to their homes Friday afternoon.
Scorching heat
The unusually hot summer and drought in Germany meant the fire quickly spread through dried-out pine forests. Many areas have had to enforce campfire and grilling bans.
Seen for miles
Reports suggested that smoke from the blaze could be seen as far away as 10 kilometers (around 6 miles). Social media users in Berlin said on Friday that they woke up to the sight of smoke in the distance.
Danger unabated?
By Saturday, authorities said the fire had affected some 400 hectares of land and Berlin residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed to keep out smoke.The fire set off some undetonated World War II and Soviet munitions dumped in the ground, hampering firefighting efforts.
Low winds help
More than 500 people have had to flee the fires. Authorities said they had made some progress containing the fire with low winds coming to their aid, but the situation was unlikely to improve over the next few days.
Arson suspected
"We've had forest fires before, but never of this magnitude," said Mayor Michael Knappe of Treuenbrietzen, another town in the area. The cause of the fire was initially unclear, but authorities announced that "all indications" now suggest the fire could have been caused by arson.