Germany updates: 1,000 firefighters tackle wildfires in east – DW – 07/04/2025
Following a heat wave that brought temperatures up to 40 degrees Celcius (104 Fahrenheit) across parts of Germany, firefighters have been deployed to tackle raging fires.
A total of 1,000 emergency personnel have been deployed to Gohrischheide in Saxony and the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia, both in eastern Germany.
Firefighters on the scene estimated the extent of the affected area to reach 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres).
More and more Germans are now drinking beer out of cans, rather than glass or plastic bottles, according to new data from the market research company NielsenIQ.
More than 10% of beer in Germany is now sold in cans.
Drinking from cans used to be more prevalent in Germany, but almost disappeared from shelves around 20 years ago. But it has since been making a comeback.
More people now drink beer from cans, even as the amount of beer being drunk in Germany continues to fall.
In the first five months of 2025, 2.2 million hectoliters (around 58 million gallons) of beer were sold in cans in German shops.
This brought the market share of cans up to 11.1% of the beer market.
NielsenIQ's Marcus Strobl suggested one reason may be that young people have gotten used to drinking energy drinks from cans, and don't attach the same stigma that older generations might.
Another explanation may be that crates for cans of beers are small than those for bottles, making the distribution easier.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoA police spokesperson said 20 people were injured when a bus overturned on the A19 motorway in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
One passenger was critically injured after being trapped for two hours before being freed.
The cause of the accident is still unclear.
The low-cost bus had 53 passengers and two drivers on board, and was travelling from Copenhagen to Vienna.
Police said the accident took place at around 2:40 a.m. local time (0040 GMT) near the Röbel junction heading toward Berlin. The part of the motorway where it happened remains closed.
The bus was owned by the Flixbus company which was involved in a deadly crash in Germany in January.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The major wildfires raging in eastern Germany continued to blaze out of control on Friday.
Authorities deployed a total of 1,000 firefighters between the two sites —Gohrischheide in Saxony and Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia.
The full extent of the fires was not yet clear, in part due to the changing winds. According to German public broadcaster , local authorities estimated on Thursday evening that the Gohrischheide fire had impacted some 200 hectares (a little under 500 acres) whereas firefighters on the ground spoke of 1,000 hectares.
Several communities, including the city of Gröditz, had been put under a disaster alert. Some 100 residents had to evacuate their houses in the area of Heidehäuser in Saxony.
People living near the wildfires were told to be ready to leave and to keep windows and doors closed.
The fire in Saxony broke out on Tuesday close to a military training ground. It wasn't clear what started the fire. The situation is particularly dangerous because the fire keeps detonating munitions that are in the ground.
Police helicopters have been used to douse the flames, but military helicopters have also been requested.
A local forestry expert in Thuringia said that the Saalfelder Höhe forest fire is the biggest in the state since 1993, according to Tagesschau.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that there was a risk of further forest fires over the weekend in the south and east of Germany, with the situation only easing on Monday with the arrival of rain.
from sunny Bonn!
Germany continues to suffer from the recent heat wave with two major wildfires blazing in the east.
We will bring you the latest from that and much more, along with explainers and analysis from our colleagues across DW. Stay with us for the latest from
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
19 hours ago
- DW
Germany updates: 1,000 firefighters tackle wildfires in east – DW – 07/04/2025
Two major wildfires have been burning in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia. Meanwhile, several people were injured when a bus overturned in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Follow DW for more. Following a heat wave that brought temperatures up to 40 degrees Celcius (104 Fahrenheit) across parts of Germany, firefighters have been deployed to tackle raging fires. A total of 1,000 emergency personnel have been deployed to Gohrischheide in Saxony and the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia, both in eastern Germany. Firefighters on the scene estimated the extent of the affected area to reach 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres). More and more Germans are now drinking beer out of cans, rather than glass or plastic bottles, according to new data from the market research company NielsenIQ. More than 10% of beer in Germany is now sold in cans. Drinking from cans used to be more prevalent in Germany, but almost disappeared from shelves around 20 years ago. But it has since been making a comeback. More people now drink beer from cans, even as the amount of beer being drunk in Germany continues to fall. In the first five months of 2025, 2.2 million hectoliters (around 58 million gallons) of beer were sold in cans in German shops. This brought the market share of cans up to 11.1% of the beer market. NielsenIQ's Marcus Strobl suggested one reason may be that young people have gotten used to drinking energy drinks from cans, and don't attach the same stigma that older generations might. Another explanation may be that crates for cans of beers are small than those for bottles, making the distribution easier. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoA police spokesperson said 20 people were injured when a bus overturned on the A19 motorway in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One passenger was critically injured after being trapped for two hours before being freed. The cause of the accident is still unclear. The low-cost bus had 53 passengers and two drivers on board, and was travelling from Copenhagen to Vienna. Police said the accident took place at around 2:40 a.m. local time (0040 GMT) near the Röbel junction heading toward Berlin. The part of the motorway where it happened remains closed. The bus was owned by the Flixbus company which was involved in a deadly crash in Germany in January. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The major wildfires raging in eastern Germany continued to blaze out of control on Friday. Authorities deployed a total of 1,000 firefighters between the two sites —Gohrischheide in Saxony and Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia. The full extent of the fires was not yet clear, in part due to the changing winds. According to German public broadcaster , local authorities estimated on Thursday evening that the Gohrischheide fire had impacted some 200 hectares (a little under 500 acres) whereas firefighters on the ground spoke of 1,000 hectares. Several communities, including the city of Gröditz, had been put under a disaster alert. Some 100 residents had to evacuate their houses in the area of Heidehäuser in Saxony. People living near the wildfires were told to be ready to leave and to keep windows and doors closed. The fire in Saxony broke out on Tuesday close to a military training ground. It wasn't clear what started the fire. The situation is particularly dangerous because the fire keeps detonating munitions that are in the ground. Police helicopters have been used to douse the flames, but military helicopters have also been requested. A local forestry expert in Thuringia said that the Saalfelder Höhe forest fire is the biggest in the state since 1993, according to Tagesschau. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that there was a risk of further forest fires over the weekend in the south and east of Germany, with the situation only easing on Monday with the arrival of rain. from sunny Bonn! Germany continues to suffer from the recent heat wave with two major wildfires blazing in the east. We will bring you the latest from that and much more, along with explainers and analysis from our colleagues across DW. Stay with us for the latest from
Local Germany
2 days ago
- Local Germany
Why it pays to exit the Autobahn to refuel in Germany
Fuel costs are about 40 cents more per litre on average at highway petrol stations than at those on side streets, according to a recent analysis by Germany's largest motorist club (ADAC). At the beginning of the summer travel season, the ADAC looked at fuel prices at a sample of petrol stations across the country and found that the difference in prices between stations on the highway versus those on smaller roads have grown compared to previous years. In this year's sample of 50 pairs of petrol stations, the average price difference came to just under 44 cents per litre for premium E10 petrol, and more than 42 cents for diesel. Analysis by the Bundeskartellamt, Germany's financial competition authority, recently came to a similar figure of around 40 cents. For a vehicle with a 50 litre tank, the difference in the cost to fill up would be around €20. READ ALSO: Why it's illegal to run out of fuel on the German Autobahn Everything you need to carry in your car while driving in Germany Fuel price differences vary between specific stations and even through the different hours of the day, because stations update and change their prices often. The highest price difference between fuel prices at a highway station versus a nearby station on a smaller road that the ADAC found was 57 cents. The lowest was a mere 0.9 cents. Overall, however, there were differences of at least 30 cents for E10 at 90 percent of the filling stations, and for diesel at 88 percent of the filling stations. Advertisement "A certain understandable," the ADAC said in a statement, but it criticised the large price differences overall. The ADAC advises drivers to avoid the petrol stations on the motorways whenever possible: "A short detour is practically always worth it." Other ways to save money on fuel include filling up in the evening when prices tend to be lower. For international trips, it is often - but not always - cheaper to fill up behind the border than in Germany. COMPARE: Is it cheaper to fill your fuel tank in Germany or across the border? Useful vocabulary: Highway / motorway - (die) Autobahn petrol - gasoline - (das) Benzin petrol station - (die) Tankstelle diesel - (der) Diesel / Dieselkraftstoff With reporting by DPA.
Local Germany
27-06-2025
- Local Germany
'Gute Fahrt': The essential vocab you need for driving in Germany
1. Acronyms Auto (car) and Fahrzeug (vehicle) are clear enough, but Germans also like to throw in the term "PKW" from time to time for good measure. A short form of Personenkraftwagen , which distinguishes a passenger car from a lorry, or "LKW" ( Lastkraftwagen ). People in Germany tend to take their acronyms seriously, so it's generally a good idea to try and pronounce the letters like a native -- "pe ka vay" and "el ka vay" respectively. The same rule applies to makes of car. A beamer is an overhead projector in Germany, never a car and certainly not a sacred BMW. BMW should always be pronounced "be em vay". Germans can be quite sniffy about this, so bear in mind that a VW is a "Fow Vay" in Germany if you want to avoid giving offence. 2. Road rage (Wut am Steuer) Of course, there are times when you might want to give offence. Instances of tailgating (drängeln), Sunday driving (Sonntagsfahren) and double parking (parken in der zweiten Reihe) are enough to make anyone's blood boil over. By far the most common word shouted from car window to car window in Germany is Arschloch , which hopefully needs no translation. If you make the mistake of shouting before looking, and the object of your anger turns out to be a lunatic spoiling for a fight, then you might want to gib Gas (step on it). The second most common expression shouted by drivers in Germany (very often at newcomers to the country unfamiliar with the rule) is rechts vor links (right before left). Advertisement You will hear this whenever you inadvertantly carry straight on at an intersection, rather than stopping to let the cars on your right turn into the road. The rule -- which seems to be an example of the triumph of regulation over reason -- is rendered void whenever you see a yellow diamond-shaped street sign at the intersection. 3. Trouble with the law In common with many other countries around the world, the German authorities take particular delight in setting up speed cameras ( Blitzer ) wherever drivers least expect them -- on a bend, for example, or where the speed limit ( Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung ) is inexplicably lowered for a few hundred metres. If you do get blitzed , you'll probably receive a letter from the police a few days or weeks later, featuring a black and white mugshot of you behind the wheel of your car. If it's not your first offence, or you were driving wildly over the Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung , you may get points on your licence. READ ALSO: Everything you need to carry in your car while driving in Germany In German, this is known as Punkte in Flensburg (points in Flensburg) -- a reference to the location of Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority or Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt. A parking ticket is known as a Straffzettel or Knöllschen. Advertisement 4. Breaking down People tend not to break down in the cars anymore ( habe eine Panne ) or suffer from punctures ( Platten ) all that often. If you do have trouble with your car, there's a chance you may have bought a lemon, or a Montagsauto in German (a car that was built on a Monday, when the workers were still tired and hungover from their weekend's exertions. Alternatively, you may just have run out of petrol: " I have run out of petrol." Mir is das Benzin ausgegangen. READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why it's illegal to run out of fuel on the German Autobahn Here's the list in full: Auto - car Fahrzeug - vehicle PKW - passenger vehicle LKW - lorry He is tailgating me - Er drängelt mich I can't stand Sunday drivers - Ich kann Sonntagsfahrer nicht ausstehen Hurry up. I'm double parked - Bitte beeilen Sie sich. Ich habe in zweiter Reihe geparkt Step on it! - Gib Gas! Right before left - Rechts vor links I was caught twice by speed cameras - Ich wurde zweimal von einem Blitzer erwischt I have six points on my licence - Ich habe sechs Punkte in Flensburg A parking ticket - Ein Knöllschen I have broken down - Ich habe eine Panne. A lemon - Ein Montagsauto I've run out of petrol - Mir is das Benzin ausgegangen READ ALSO: German word of the day: Knöllchen
