Fire spreads in German national park, battle against blaze goes on

Fire crews are continuing to battle a blaze in eastern Germany's Saxon Switzerland national park after it spread further, with the state premier returning home from his holidays earlier out of concern for the well-being of people in the area, reported dpa.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling the flames on Friday afternoon, with the situation tense as wildfires rage on in the states of Brandenburg and of Saxony.

In Saxony, the fire is raging through a national park, having spread from the neighbouring Czech Republic.

The fire broke out last weekend in the Bohemian Switzerland national park in the Czech Republic and spread to the Saxon Switzerland park on Monday.

Seven firefighting helicopters are currently deployed with two helicopters carrying out reconnaissance flights with thermal imaging cameras. Two more helicopters will be sent over the weekend to help extinguish the flames, and satellite images will be evaluated. Further firefighters are expected to join the operations.

Thomas Kunz, spokesman for the regional council of the Saxon Switzerland park, said on Friday that pockets of fire were discovered on Thursday evening and extinguished beyond the Kirnitzsch tributary to the River Elbe, which firefighters had hoped would act as an natural barrier to the fire.

Some 250 hectares of forested area is burning, according to the authorities. Firefighters in the area are now trying to make sure the flames don't continue to spread.

In the early hours of Friday, officials issued a disaster alert for the town of Sebnitz. A similar alert has been in effect in the spa town of Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland since Tuesday.

It is easier to coordinate emergency forces and ensure access to further firefighters once the alerts are called.

However, officials noted that there was currently no danger of the fire spreading to neighbouring houses.

The fires were burning so powerfully that people in the nearby city of Dresden, some 30 kilometres away, noticed the smell of smoke.

Saxony's state Premier Michael Kretschmer returned from his holidays earlier due to the fires and was expected in Dresden on Friday.

He plans to travel to the site of the fires in Saxon Switzerland with Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster late in the afternoon to assess the situation.

Local officials advised those living near the fires who have respiratory troubles such as chronic bronchitis or asthma to take additional care, given the danger of exposure to smoke. People are advised to stay indoors and have emergency medication on hand in case, doctor Ina Bialk said.

Her advice was echoed by a district official who warned there was a danger of far more smoke. People should contact a health professional with questions or any problems, said District Administrator Michael Geisler.

Czech firefighters are still trying to contain the flames on their side of the border, with more than 450 firefighters deployed each day to contain a fire that has already destroyed 1,000 hectares of woodland.

In support, Sweden has provided two firefighting aircraft to help battle the wildfires. The Czech fire brigade said the Air Tractor AT802F aircraft could each hold 3,000 litres of water.

Firefighters were hoping for rain during the weekend, with German forecasters saying there could be rain and showers in some areas.

Another fire is raging in a different part of the state, on the border between Saxony and Brandenburg.

Firefighters, helicopters, firefighting tanks and water cannon are all in action to contain flames in the Elbe-Elster district. Firefighters were seeking to extinguish pockets of embers to prevent new wildfires from breaking out, after flames flared up earlier in the week.

Two Bundeswehr armoured engineer vehicles helped creating firebreaks to prevent further spread while specialists burned sections of woodland along a highway to prevent dead wood from catching alight.

The forest fire in Brandenburg broke out on Monday and spread rapidly covering around 800 hectares.