Wald fire in the Harz: Onlookers hinder fire fighters!

Wald fire in the Harz: Onlookers hinder fire fighters!

In the Harz, there is a huge burning: since Sunday, June 24, 2025, the forests at Goslar have been on fire. The fire brigade is high -pressure to control the fire. But despite all efforts, the situation is still tense. According to ndr it can take until the weekend until all embers in the ground are.

The fire brigade urgently warns of entering the fire area, which is dangerous due to falling trees and toxic smoke. The emergency services are particularly hindering by blocking paths or following the fire engines into the forest. The city of Goslar has therefore issued a ban on entering the area around the Königsberg, Nordberg and Steinberg.

fight against the flames

The cause of the fire has so far been unclear, but the fire brigade has investigated. The fire was reported for the first time on Sunday evening at 6:08 p.m. and has been spreading quickly since then. Thanks to the increased humidity on Tuesday, however, there was a positive development in fire fighting. Strong winds at the beginning of the week made the extinguishing work significantly more difficult because they continued to nourish the flames. A fire aircraft from Saxony-Anhalt was also in use, but could only be used sporadically because the situation remains dynamic.

The area of ​​the fire area includes an estimated 7 hectares, which corresponds to around 10 soccer fields. Over 200 emergency services were temporarily deployed, including firefighters from the urban area and local forces. The fire brigade appeals to the population: "Keep away from the site and enable free access for the emergency vehicles." This is recommended urgently, since the extinguishing work is expected to continue all day to finally extinguish the fire.

background to forest fires

forest fires are a problem that also affects Germany. The climate plays a crucial role here: increasing dry periods and heat promote the risk of fires, such as Statista . In 2023, over 1,200 hectares of forest were destroyed by flames in Germany, while the previous year's value with over 3,000 hectares was a dramatic high in the past 30 years. The most common causes of fire are arson or carelessness, whereby a high proportion of cases with unclear causes is still worrying.

The current situation in Goslar should give us thinking - not only because it is burning here, but also because we have to carefully observe the development of the risk of forest fire in Germany and worldwide. While the fire brigade in Goslar gives everything to extinguish the flames, the view of a sustainable fire prevention with a good hand remains crucial for our forests.