Unexploded Ordnance Hinders Firefighting at Former Soviet Tank Range in Germany Amid Heatwave

Firefighters in Germany were powerless to extinguish a blaze at a former Soviet tank firing range as the blaze set off unexploded ordnance just miles from the site of a major festival.

Specialised firefighting robots and a bomb squad joined firefighters at Müritz National Park, around 60 miles north of Berlin, after the fire began to spread as a record-breaking heatwave swept Europe.

Around 120 hectares were ablaze by Friday lunchtime, according to reports, with firefighters only able to watch and try to contain its spread due to the presence of explosives on the former military site.

“There have been explosions, at least for a while,” a district spokesperson told Bild . “It’s a heavily contaminated area with munitions ... This means that active firefighting efforts are impossible, for the safety of the emergency personnel.”

Jörg Westphal of the Neustrelitz fire department told public broadcaster NDR that old munitions could detonate due to the heat, setting off a chain reaction of explosions.

District Administrator Thomas Müller added that there were also anti-tank grenades on the site, obstructing efforts to put out the fire.

“The name itself suggests that even this tank would be defenceless against this ammunition,” he said.

Emergency services have been allowing the fire to burn out under controlled conditions with a safety distance of 1,000 metres, according to Die Zeit.

“We don't know the cause yet,” a district spokesperson told the German Press Agency. “The problem is: you can't go in to search for it, and you can't go in to fight it either.”

More than 160 firefighters have now been deployed to cordon off the area and water the edges of the forest to contain the fire, some 20 miles from the ‘Fusion’ festival, also on an ex-training ground, which is expected to attract some 70,000 fans this weekend.

Temperatures of up to 39 Celsius are expected in the region over the weekend.

The fire department bolstered its ranks this morning and planned to draw water from Lake Langhegen after the wind began pushing the fire north, according to NDR, citing a district spokesperson.

Emergency responders found more hotspots and plumes of smoke in the northern part of the region, after earlier reporting the fire had been extinguished.

Westphal said the wind kept changing on Wednesday, making it harder for the fire service to contain the spread.

On Friday, a district spokesperson told the Germany Press Agency that a water barrier set up at the western end of the burning area had proven effective, and that the fire had been stopped in some areas overnight.

Germany’s NINA official warning app urged locals to leave the affected area immediately, according to NordKurier.

Traffic restrictions were also in place on the B193 due to the fire brigade’s operations.