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Multiple explosions at munition site spark massive forest fire in Germany
In a tweet, the Berlin fire department noted that there had been many explosions at the location in the Grunewald forest and added that authorities had sealed off an area with a 1,000-meter radius.
On Thursday, a large fire broke out during a heat wave, igniting some 15,000 square metres of forest in western Berlin, according to emergency services. The fire, reportedly triggered by several explosions, took place at an ammunition dump inside the forest.
In a tweet, the Berlin fire department noted that there had been many explosions at the location in the Grunewald forest and added that authorities had sealed off an area with a 1,000-meter radius.
The blaze and resulting explosions had also prompted authorities to restrict road and rail transport in the area. One of the city's most important highways, the Avus, was closed.
The local news agency reported that around100 firefighters were working to put the fire out.
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"Do not enter the woodland," the fire service warned. “The situation is dangerous,” Thomas Kirstein from the Berlin fire department informed the reporters.
Images from Reuters showed smoke rising above sailing boats in the well-known Lake Wannsee in the German capital. Due to the dry conditions of the forest, the fire service issued a warning that the fire could spread.
The city of Berlin is facing a weather warning currently, with the German weather office DWD anticipating temperatures on Thursday between 34 and 38 degrees Celsius.
(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)
