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Forest fire in Breckerfeld: Fire brigade fights against widespread inferno!
A forest fire in Breckerfeld on April 3, 2025 required extensive firefighting measures. Citizens alerted the emergency services because of smoke and fire. Support came from several cities as the fight continued late into the night.
Forest fire in Breckerfeld: Fire brigade fights against widespread inferno!
On April 3, 2025, the volunteer fire department in Breckerfeld, Germany, was alerted to fight a forest fire that initially affected an area of less than 100 square meters. However, the fire quickly spread to around 9,000 square meters, which significantly complicated the situation. Citizens noticed smoke and fire and immediately called the fire department, which then requested support from the Hagen fire department and regional units from the Ennepe-Ruhr district. Fire departments from Gevelsberg, Sprockhövel, Ennepetal, Schwelm and Schalksmühle were called to help.
A mobile kitchen from the German Red Cross (DRK) was set up in the equipment house on Zurstrasse to feed the emergency services during the long night. The Technical Relief Agency (THW) supported the fire department with lighting of the scene and with additional equipment. Excavators were used to create aisles and trenches to help contain the fire.
Complex firefighting
Fighting the fire turned out to be extremely complicated. The emergency services fought into the night, using thermal imaging cameras to discover embers. The fire spread underground, resulting in the emergence of a new ground fire. However, this was successfully deleted. The scene was handed over to the Hagen fire department around 11:30 p.m. After around 7.5 hours, the fire brigades from the Ennepe-Ruhr and Märkischer Kreis districts were finally able to respond.
Current weather conditions are alarming as extreme drought and lack of rainfall significantly increase the risk of wildfires in the region. This is reminiscent of the wildfire events of 2018 and 2019, which were primarily caused by extreme drought and heat. Although the area of forest fires in Germany decreased significantly between 1991 and 2017, the risk remained unchanged or even increased in some areas. The northeastern federal states in particular have been affected by large-scale fires in the past.
Danger of forest fires in Germany
The Federal Environment Agency reports that the causes of forest fires are often due to negligent actions or arson. The expansion of prevention measures, such as digital sensors that transmit information about forest fire risks to forest fire control centers, has contributed to improving the detection and containment of forest fires. In 2018, 1,708 forest fires were registered in Germany, damaging an area of 2,349 hectares of forest. Numerous forest fires occurred particularly in Brandenburg, where 512 fires took place, but also throughout Germany, which posed exceptional challenges for the emergency services in the event of a disaster.
The current situation in Breckerfeld makes it clear how important rapid and coordinated intervention by the fire department is. Calling on citizens to be vigilant and to alert the fire department if smoke develops is essential to avoid major damage in the future.
In summary, the deployment 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 wildfires and their causes, check out coverage from FireWorld as well as the analyzes of the Federal Environment Agency see.