Forest fires across Hesse and Bavaria keep firefighters battling through Monday evening

Fires near Rodenbach

Multiple forest fires broke out between Ober- and Niederrodenbach in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis on Monday at midday, prompting the integrated control centre to issue a Katwarn alert to residents. A police spokesman said on early Monday evening that several thousand square meters of forest were affected, while the Kreisbrandinspektion from Aschaffenburg, assisting with the operation, spoke of at least 30,000 square meters. Frank Wissel, Kreisbrandrat of Aschaffenburg, estimated the total at roughly two to three hectares across four fire sources. The fire initially spread toward a holiday home settlement in the forest but was not reached by flames thanks to the quick response of the fire brigade. No injuries were reported in the Rodenbach fire. Police said arson could not be excluded, and witnesses were asked to contact the Hanau criminal police.

Cross-border smoke and mutual aid

Smoke from the Rodenbach fire drifted across the border into Bavaria, prompting authorities to ask residents in Alzenau (Kreis Aschaffenburg) to keep windows and doors closed. Numerous emergency calls from concerned Alzenau residents reached the integrated control centre in Aschaffenburg. A Bavarian police helicopter from Würzburg joined the firefighting effort on the Hessian side, and the Alzenau fire brigade deployed two forest fire vehicles. Around a dozen fire departments from Rodenbach and the surrounding area were involved, including crews from Bavaria rotating in to relieve colleagues. Six large roll-off containers, each holding 10,000 litres, were positioned to secure water supply. Police drones and a helicopter supported the operation from the air. By early Monday evening, some fire points had been extinguished while others continued to burn in difficult-to-access terrain. A police spokesman said it was not yet foreseeable when the operation would be completed.

Taunus blaze and Upper Palatinate fire

In the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, roughly 8,000 square meters of forest burned between Hohenstein-Breithardt, Born and Bad Schwalbach-Adolfseck, triggering a large-scale operation. Three firefighters were lightly injured. The fire was brought under control by Monday afternoon, with crews focusing on preventing further spread. Separately, a forest fire broke out near the Holzhammer district of Schnaittenbach in the Upper Palatinate, burning approximately 1,000 square meters. Police spokesman Dominik Lehmeier said around 160 personnel were deployed, including about 120 firefighters. The fire was quickly extinguished after farmers arrived with water-filled slurry tanks, a measure that helped bring the blaze under control rapidly. One firefighter was lightly injured after twisting his ankle in the difficult terrain. The Bergwacht and THW were also deployed, using quad bikes to scout inaccessible forest paths and supply crews with water and food.

Weather conditions

The German Weather Service's forest fire danger index showed high or very high risk across Hesse on Monday, with the exception of the Wasserkuppe, Hesse's highest mountain, where the risk was moderate. High temperatures and strong winds hampered firefighting efforts at all locations. The first fire near Rodenbach was reported around midday, and by Monday evening firefighting operations were still ongoing with no clear end in sight.