Waldbrand in Breckerfeld: Fire brigade fights against nationwide inferno!

Waldbrand in Breckerfeld: Fire brigade fights against nationwide inferno!

On April 3, 2025, the volunteer fire brigade in Breckerfeld, Germany, was alerted to combat a forest fire that originally affected an area of less than 100 square meters. However, the fire quickly expanded to around 9,000 square meters, which significantly complicated the situation. Citizens had noticed smoke and a fire certificate and immediately informed the fire brigade, who then requested support from the Hagen fire brigade and local units from the Ennepe-Ruhr district. Fire brigades from Gevelsberg, Sprockhövel, Ennepetal, Schwelm and Schalksmühle were called for help.

A mobile cuisine of the German Red Cross (DRK) was set up in the tool shed in Zurstraße to cater for the emergency services during the long night. Technical relief organization (THW) supported the fire brigade in illuminating the site and with an additional device. Excavators were used to pull the lines and trenches that should contribute to the containment of the fire.

complex fire fighting

The fighting of the fire proved to be extremely complicated. The emergency services fought into the night, discovering embers with the help of thermal imaging cameras. The fire spread underground, which led to the development of a new floor fire. However, this was successfully deleted. The site was handed over to the Hagen fire brigade at 11:30 p.m. After around 7.5 hours, the fire brigades from the circles Ennepe-Ruhr and Märkischer Kreis finally entered.

The current weather conditions are alarming because the extreme dryness and the lack of precipitation significantly increase the risk of forest fire in the region. This is reminiscent of the forest fire events of 2018 and 2019, which were mainly caused by extreme drought and heat. Although the forest fire areas in Germany decreased significantly from 1991 to 2017, the risk in some areas remained unchanged or even increased. In the past, the northeastern federal states in particular were affected by major surface fires.

forest fire in Germany

The Federal Environment Agency reports that ignition causes of forest fires are often due to negligent action or arson. The expansion of prevention measures, such as digital sensors that transmit information about forest fire threats to forest fire centers, has contributed to improving the detection and containment of forest fires. In 2018, 1,708 forest fires were registered in Germany, which damaged an area of 2,349 hectares of forest. Especially in Brandenburg, where 512 fires took place, but also throughout Germany, numerous forest fires occurred, which were exceptional challenges for the emergency services in the event of a disaster.

The current situation in Breckerfeld makes it clear how important a rapid and coordinated intervention of the fire brigade is. The call to the citizens of being vigilant and alert the fire brigade in the event of smoke is essential to avoid greater damage in the future.

In summary, the use of the fire brigade in Breckerfeld shows how important good preparations and emergency services are in order to act successfully in times of increased forest fire risk.

For more information about forest fires and their causes, you can report the reporting of FireWorld href = "https://www.umweltbundamt.de/monitoring-zur-das/handlungenfelder/wald-und-forstwirtschaft/fw-i-8/indikator"> Environmental Bundesamt