Göttingen Fire Department: Heroic deed in the fight against Spain's fire inferno!

Göttingen Fire Department: Heroic deed in the fight against Spain's fire inferno!

These days, no stone is left unturned in Spain: the worst forest fires in decades are keeping the country in suspense. The Extremadura region is particularly affected, where flames have already destroyed over 15,000 hectares. Support is coming from Germany, where a special unit, including firefighters from the Göttingen and Goslar districts, has intervened in the fight against the fires. How Göttingen Tageblatt Reportedly, the conditions are complicated: rapid wind changes make it difficult to control the flames and threaten not only forests but also residential areas.

On August 17th, a 14-person team led by Jannik Dannhauer from Bad Lauterberg set off for Spain. They arrived in Jarilla on Tuesday evening, August 19, where an enormous forest fire was raging. The fire brigade brought two tank fire engines and a command car, and the first thing they did was set up a camp on a football field and in a sports hall Mallorca newspaper. After a three-day journey, which was made easier by extensive luggage preparation, the emergency services, who worked together in two shifts, performed their first duty: They secured affected areas.

A tough fight in Castile-León

The situation worsened when the unit was moved to Castile and León. Here, at an altitude of up to 1,900 meters in difficult terrain, the firefighters spotted fire walls up to 15 meters high. They were supported by helicopters that dropped water. The biggest challenge was protecting the threatened village of La Baña, where a bulldozer had cut a path that absolutely needed to be defended. The emergency services had to intervene at the last second to stop the flames and save the village and its residents, who at the end thanked the brave firefighters with loud applause.

A total of over 67 emergency services, including firefighters from North Rhine-Westphalia, fought against the flames. The Spanish central government also mobilized hundreds of additional soldiers as the situation was serious, with 21 major active fires and over three thousand square kilometers of nature going up in flames since the beginning of the year. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pointed out that the risk of fire has increased massively due to climate change - a circumstance that poses major challenges for both the emergency services and the affected communities daily news reported.

A joyful welcome in Germany

After 14 days full of sometimes dangerous, sometimes heroic missions, the task force finally returned to Germany. Their perseverance and effective support during the critical phase of firefighting in Spain were recognized by all sides. The firefighters received a warm welcome when they returned. By protecting the village of La Baña and successfully reducing the forest fire risk from two to one, they played a significant role in dealing with this devastating forest fire season.