Forest fire danger level 4 declared across Saxony-Anhalt after weekend fires

Elevated fire danger across Saxony-Anhalt

Dryness and high temperatures have increased the risk of forest fires across Saxony-Anhalt. After several forest and field fires over the weekend and another blaze on Monday morning, parts of the state remain on high alert. The second-highest danger level, four out of five, currently applies to the Harz, the Börde, parts of the Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Wittenberg districts, Mansfeld-Südharz, and the Harz National Park, according to the information portal of the state forest centre, the Landeszentrum Wald. Level four denotes very high fire risk in the five-step warning system used by the state.

Much of the rest of Saxony-Anhalt sits at level three, denoting moderate forest fire danger. Areas at this level include the Altmark, the Jerichower Land, the Salzlandkreis, the Saalekreis, the Burgenlandkreis, and the cities of Magdeburg, Halle, and Dessau-Roßlau. The combination of dry conditions and warm temperatures across both upland and lowland areas has kept the danger elevated across the state's regions.

Weekend fire deployments

The dry weather had already caused fires at several locations over the weekend. Firefighters were deployed to forest and field fires in the Harz, the Salzlandkreis, and in Mansfeld-Südharz. Near Gernrode, a firefighting aircraft supported the extinguishing operations from the air, adding aerial capacity to the ground crews' efforts. The weekend incidents ranged across both the forested Harz uplands and the agricultural lowlands of the Salzlandkreis, with multiple fire brigades called out in succession.

Monday morning blaze

Emergency crews were called out again on Monday morning to a forest fire. Between Klötze and Jemmeritz in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, approximately 500 square meters of forest were burning, according to the rescue control centre. The crews were able to extinguish the blaze during the morning hours, bringing the latest incident under control before it could spread further into the surrounding woodland.

Weather outlook offers no relief

A sustained easing of the fire danger through rainfall is not initially in sight. At the start of the week, only local showers and thunderstorms are possible, offering little respite for the dry vegetation in the affected regions. From Tuesday to Thursday, the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) forecasts largely dry and sunny conditions across the state. Temperatures are expected to climb back to around 30 degrees Celsius by Thursday, maintaining the warm and dry pattern that has fed the fires since the weekend. With no widespread rain forecast through at least Thursday, the elevated danger levels are likely to persist across the Harz, the Börde, and the other affected areas.