After the forest fire near Beilrode (northern Saxony) this weekend, many hot spots continue to employ firefighters. “The operation is not yet over,” a spokesperson for the district office of the German news agency said on Monday. About 150 firefighters are on their way to find the herd, which reaches about a meter in the ground. An armored recovery vehicle draws paths in the forest. The rain is good so that the fire does not reignite, but it is difficult for vehicles to pass. “Work will continue at least until Wednesday evening.”
The railway line has been closed since Saturday. “This ensures the safety of the emergency services,” said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn. A reliable forecast at the time of publication is currently not possible. “The route will be evaluated when the fire department is finished.” Replacement traffic has been put in place for the S4 S-Bahn line and the RE10 Leipzig-Cottbus regional train.
The fire affected around thirty hectares of forest on both sides of the tracks. It was still off on Saturday night, and the fire warden has been on duty ever since. A technical defect such as a hot brake on a towing vehicle is suspected to be the cause of the fire which spread from the dike to the forest on both sides. “It burned over a length of twelve kilometers.” The search for the cause is ongoing, the amount of damage caused is still not clear.
