The steep slopes are on fire, the forest glows red. A fire has broken out in the Saxon Switzerland National Park for reasons that are still unclear.
Shortly after midnight, the fire was noticed below the well-known Bastei Bridge in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the Eastern Ore Mountains. The police and fire department received the alarm around 12:25 a.m. Since then, more than 100 comrades from various fire departments have been fighting the flames.
“Around 4 a.m., an area of about 250 by 50 meters was already burning,” said a spokesman for the Dresden police. The fire brigade tried to extinguish from below and from above. Due to the steep slope, the extinguishing work is difficult.
According to Radio Dresden, two firefighters were injured in the operation.
How the fire broke out in the national park is still unclear and is being investigated.
Bastei bridge and view blocked
The fire brigade will probably continue all day until the last embers can be extinguished. District spokesman Thomas Kunz points out that the popular viewing platform with a view of the bastion is currently closed and will remain closed all day due to the ongoing extinguishing work.
[…] could be seen from the banks of the River Elbe and it appeared to look like a volcanic eruption. According to a statement from the spokesperson of the Dresden Police Department, an area of 250 by 50 meters had been […]