Forest fires spark explosions at former German Army training camps

A municipality in Lübtheen (north) is evacuated due to the proximity of the flames to the residents’ homes

SCHWERIN (GERMANY), June 13 (DPA/EP) –

German firefighters fighting forest fires in the north of the country had to face the added danger of exploding old ammunition on Monday.

Some 500 emergency personnel have been fighting the fires, which broke out on Monday afternoon at two former military training camps near Lübtheen and Hagenow, about 100 kilometers east of Hamburg.

The district administrator, Stefan Sternberg, has stated that the fires had grown to reach 100 and 35 hectares, respectively, late at night.

Four years ago, the former military training area near Lübtheen suffered the worst forest fire in the region’s history, with nearly 1,000 hectares burned. The firefighting operations were hampered by the presence of unexploded ammunition, some of them from World War II.

The authorities are particularly concerned about the fire near Lübtheen. The town of Volzrade, belonging to the municipality of Lübtheen, has been evacuated at night, since the flames have come within 800 meters of the houses.

According to authorities, the situation is even more difficult than in the 2019 fire, as the large amount of dead wood left behind is adding fuel to the flames, generating heat that penetrates deep into the ground and causes ammunition to burn. old explode. In addition, strong winds have worsened the situation.

Sternberg has explained that the fire teams hope that a strip free of vegetation that surrounds the old military site will stop the fire.