Heat wave and the risk of forest fire: fire brigades in continuous use!

Heat wave and the risk of forest fire: fire brigades in continuous use!

Last Sunday, June 21, 2025, there was high temperatures in the district of Aschaffenburg and the highest forest fire level 5 of 5. This critical situation led to an enormous operational readiness for fire departments in the region. As reported [kfv-ab.de] (https://www.kfv-ab.de/index.php/news/nachrichten/hitze-waldbrandfahr- und-dauereinsaetze-ein-valer--sonntag-fuer-feuerwehren-im-landkreis-Aschaffenburg), were extreme drought and wind for the tense conditions.

The Feldkahl-Rottenberg fire brigade was alerted at 8:25 a.m. when a fallen tree blocked a street. Just a short time later, at 9:47 a.m., the fire brigades moved out to a traffic accident. The Schimborn fire brigade was also called due to a wasp nest at 9:56 a.m., since there was acute allergens' risk. So the morning brought itself quite eventfully, and the emergency services had their hands full.

a race against the time

At 11:20 a.m., the Stockstadt fire brigade was called to a medical emergency, while the Kahl fire brigade secured landing a rescue helicopter just six minutes later. The Kleinkahl fire brigade also had to cope with another medical emergency at 11:54 a.m. The high number of missions shows how important the fire brigades are under these difficult conditions.

But the activities of the helpers not only limited themselves to medical emergencies. A forest fire in Haibach was reported at 12:21 p.m., which illustrated the worrying situation of the risk of forest fire. As fw-netphen.de, the risk from forest fires is currently very high. Strong gusts of wind can accelerate fires enormously, which further exacerbates the situation.

attentive citizens asked

"We need the help of the citizens," says district fire chief Bernd Schneider, who also warns of the challenges of drought and pests such as the bark beetle. The important tips for avoiding fires include no cigarettes or other burning objects into nature. Grilling in the forest is also strictly prohibited due to the danger. Everyone should select emergency call 112 in the event of fires or smoke developments.

The Federal Environment Agency indicates that the risk of forest fires is steadily increasing. The index value on the 5-stage scale now shows an extremely increased risk. A look at the past few years shows that forest fires in Germany rose sharply, especially in 2018 and 2019, favored by extreme heat and drought.

Thank you very much

At 6:55 p.m. the Weibersbrunn volunteer fire brigade was called for a triggered fire alarm system - a false alarm. In the evening, too, the fire brigade was not idle: an assignment due to a suspected helpless person could be canceled after a short time because the door was already open. Many thanks for their tireless work, especially on such a challenging day.