The situation in the vicinity of the forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park has been made worse by shifting winds from the direction of the Czech Republic. The present goal of the firefight, according to the district office for Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains on Thursday afternoon, is to stop the fire from spreading to the neighboring countries.
The fire is being further contained by the emergency services, who are exerting every effort. The district office characterized the fire’s growth as dynamic.
The combined effort between Saxony and the Czech Republic to put out forest fires is currently being stepped up. According to Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU), both nations would have granted each other overflight rights of up to 20 kilometers over their respective territory for the cross-border usage of firefighting helicopters.
German pilots would then be able to access the Czech Republic’s Elbe for water. Operation coordination would be improved if pilots from both nations could communicate over a closed radio frequency band made available by NATO.
Additionally, Bundeswehr helicopters are used.
According to the ministry, Schuster and Jiri Novácek, the deputy interior minister of the Czech Republic, reached an agreement on the joint measures on Thursday in the border town of Hrensko. Also agreed upon was the participation of liaison officers from each nation in the corresponding bordering region’s crisis teams.
340 firemen, mostly from the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains department, were on the scene at noon. Numerous employees from different assistance organizations handle the logistics and supplies. Around 250 hectares of forest are currently on fire, according to the information.
Eight fire-fighting helicopters, three more aircraft for surveillance flights, and two water cannons from the state police all assist the emergency services. On the Czech side, firefighting helicopters are also utilized.
The district office reports that a portion of the Elbe will be closed on Thursday until 10 p.m. in order to allow firefighting helicopters to retrieve water.
gurus worry about rockfalls
Rockfalls as a result of the events are not ruled out by a specialist in forest fires. “I worry that the fires in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains may cause significant rockfalls and soil erosion. Michael Müller, professor of silviculture and forest conservation at the Technical University of Dresden, told the newspapers of the Bayern media group on Thursday that there is hardly any humus there and that the trees are growing on granite.
The expert argued against always putting out forest fires everywhere. Every fire slows down natural development by decades in a national park in Germany. For instance, things are different in Brandenburg’s pine forests. “There are places where the ammo load is high. Here, you must choose between putting out fires and giving up and letting it burn.
Additionally, Müller views the usage and acquisition of firefighting aircraft as, at most, a supplemental tool. A forest fire cannot be extinguished by firefighting aircraft. One to two liters of water are used per square meter when we primarily throw water onto treetops.
However, one can temporarily drain the energy from a strong fire using fire-fighting aircraft. The fire then suddenly becomes less hot and noisy. The important ground fire can then be attacked by the fire departments.
More water is permitted to enter the Elbe in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic increases the amount of water it discharges into the Elbe through its dam system in order to maintain a specific minimum water level in the river. Czech Agriculture Minister Zdenek Nekula stated on Twitter on Thursday that the so-called Vltava cascade will release 20 more cubic meters of water per second.
Over 1.7 million cubic meters of water are used each day in that amount. The enormous Orlik and Lipno reservoirs in the southwest of the Czech Republic are two examples of the Vltava Cascade. Near Melnik, the Vltava empties into the Elbe.
Thomas Kunz, the district press representative for Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains, described the situation as “tight.” However, no towns or specific structures have been evacuated to date, and the populace is not immediately under danger. However, according to Kunz, there are matching principles that may be rapidly put into practice.
The fire started over the weekend in the Czech Republic’s Bohemian Switzerland National Park and moved on to the Saxon Switzerland National Park on Monday. A disaster alarm has been in force in Bad Schandau, Saxon Switzerland, since Tuesday. Avoid the area, tourists. Until further notice, no one is allowed to access the forests in the Saxon Switzerland-East Ore Mountains district.