Explosion, ‘unprecedented’ fire hits Berlin Forest
An “unprecedented” fire erupted around a German police ammunition storage site in a popular forest in west Berlin on Thursday, sending a plume of smoke into the sky and triggering an explosion.
Firefighters were unable to directly tackle the fire due to the danger of further explosions, and emergency services set up a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) safe zone around the scene.
About 250 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene.
Water cannons were also deployed around the safety zone to prevent the fire from spreading.
Giffie advised Berliners to close their windows, but said the danger was minimal as there were no houses within a two-kilometre radius and there was no need to issue an evacuation order.
“If there are houses nearby, it will be more difficult,” she said.
No one was injured in the blaze that sent a heat wave across Germany.
Police said they were investigating the cause of the fire.
Local authorities “will have to think about how to handle this munitions storage site in the future and whether such a site would be an appropriate location in Berlin,” Giffey said.
– Forest fire –
They also stated that a 1,000-meter safety zone applies in the air, so there was a limit to how useful dropping water onto the fire from above would be.
Brandenburg, the area around Berlin and parts of eastern Germany have been battling bushfires for several days.
Severe thunderstorms are expected to hit the country from the west on Friday, according to the German Meteorological Office.
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first published as Explosion, ‘unprecedented’ fire hits Berlin Forest
Explosion, ‘unprecedented’ fire hits Berlin Forest
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