Forest fire in Müritz National Park: 318 hectares affected

This is why the emergency services cannot reach the fire directly. Instead, they are trying to contain the fire from the outside. On Thursday, the emergency services succeeded in largely encircling the fire. So-called circular sprinklers were used to water the ground around the fire sources. In places, the ground is said to be soaked with water to a depth of 15 centimeters.

Around 370 emergency personnel are trying to contain the fire. According to the German Press Agency (dpa), around 400 helpers are on site, the vast majority of them working on a voluntary basis. Among other things, the firefighters are battling the flames with water sprayers that are normally used for watering plants.

Hundreds of helpers in a major operation

The fire service pumped water from the surrounding lakes all day and channeled it into the peripheral areas around the fires. The lakes in the surrounding area were therefore closed to people and boats so that helicopters could pick up water safely. Among the three helicopters that the Bundeswehr sent on Thursday are two CH-53 transport helicopters. They can each take on up to 5,000 liters of water.

Support has arrived from, among other places, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, and Saxony. The assistance is initially planned until Sunday. The THW (Federal Agency for Technical Relief) has also reinforced its forces on site and is taking over, among other things, the refueling of the booster pumps that transport the water to the circular sprinklers.

Evacuation in Granzin

The village of Granzin remains evacuated. On Tuesday evening, the approximately 100 residents of Granzin had to leave their homes again – the wind had shifted and drove the flames back toward the village. The residents of Krienke and Speck, on the other hand, were allowed to return to their homes. Those affected can continue to stay at the community center in Peckatel, where an emergency shelter has been set up.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Environment Minister Backhaus stressed during a visit to the affected area that the emergency services had the situation under control. A state of disaster had therefore not been declared. The district has not declared a state of disaster to date.

Weather service announces rain

District Administrator Thomas Müller (CDU) said that without the munitions, the fire would have been extinguished long ago: "Ansonsten wäre das Feuer längst aus, weil die Feuerwehrleute längst in das Gebiet vorgedrungen wären". The district continues to expressly warn against entering the fire area in the national park.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), it could rain in the fire area from Friday afternoon. During thunderstorms, up to 40 liters of precipitation per square meter per hour is possible. The cause of the fire is unclear.

On the long-distance cycling route between Berlin and Copenhagen, which runs through Müritz National Park, a detour has been set up between Neustrelitz and Waren, said a spokesperson for the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte tourism association. Since the outbreak of the fire, many tourists have canceled their vacations in the region. The Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district has set up a citizen hotline for those affected and residents at the numbers (0395) 57087-8230, -8070, and -8190.