Germany udpates: 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).
A 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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
New Wildfire Near Athens, Crete Blaze 'Retreating': Firefighters
A wildfire on the island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is "retreating", Greek firefighters told AFP on Friday, but a new blaze fanned by strong winds is spreading east of the capital, Athens. Hot dry weather in Greece -- not unusual for this time of year -- has heightened the risk of summer wildfires, and scientists say human-driven climate change is making them more frequent and more intense. The new wildfire broke out at Koropi, a town some 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Athens, where residents received text messages from civil protection units urging them to evacuate the vicinity. That fire "has reached the courtyards of the houses", Koropi mayor Dimitris Kiousis told public television channel ERT. "The fire is ongoing. All residents (in threatened areas) have been evacuated," Thodoris Grivas, deputy mayor of Koropi, told ERT. "We do not yet know the extent of the disaster," Grivas added. A fire department official later told AFP that the situation appeared "improved". "There remain some scattered clusters," he added. In all, 120 firefighters were at the scene, with 30 engines, eight planes and the same number of helicopters, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. A coastguard vessel was patrolling nearby. Concerns remain for the coming days, particularly Saturday. when temperatures are due to rise, with the risk of fire still high. Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country, according to the EMY weather agency. Greece had until now been generally spared the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and France over recent days. Early on Friday afternoon, at least two water bombers and two helicopters were battling flames fanned by strong winds blowing across Attica, the Athens region, and the capital itself. The fire was destroying olive trees and brushwood, ERT images showed. Firefighters earlier managed to bring under control a separate fire which had on Thursday threatened the port of Rafina, around 20 kilometres northeast of Koropi, after some 300 local people were evacuated from their homes. Fire crews remained on alert, as the Rafina wildfire was not far from Athens International Airport and winds still posed a threat. The blaze destroyed a several houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. On the island of Crete, around 230 firefighters, 48 fire engines and six helicopters remained at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, even though the blaze was receding. Some 3,000 visitors had been forced to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening and 2,000 local residents were also evacuated, authorities said. "The fire is retreating," Vathrakoyannis told AFP. "There are still fears of flare-ups but there is no longer a major front," he added. Scattered hot spots still remained and firefighters were dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups had restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency. Weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area had improved the situation, firefighters said, although a fire brigade spokesperson had warned overnight of some "difficult" days ahead. Last month, fires on Greece's fifth-biggest island Chios, in the northern Aegean, destroyed 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) of land, according to the WWF and the National Observatory of Athens research institute. The most destructive year for wildfires was 2023, when nearly 175,000 hectares were lost and there were 20 deaths. Officials in Crete ordered evacuations when water bomber planes were unable to reach fire-affected areas AFP Fires also broke out Pikermi, 30 kms east of Athens AFP
Local Germany
12 hours ago
- Local Germany
How you can follow the 2025 Tour de France on German TV
The Tour de France will kick off this year on July 5 in the northern French city of Lille, with riders set to cross the finish line on Paris's Champs-Élysées on July 27. The race, arguably the most famous cycling event in the world, will consist of 21 day-long stages and two rest days. The route, which is more than 3,000 kilometres long, will wind through cities, villages and countryside across France. The German broadcaster ARD will cover the Tour daily. Viewers can watch the race live on , in ARD's Mediathek or on the television channel Das Erste. The broadcast on Das Erste will begin around 14:00 most days. Advertisement Only one German has ever won the Tour de France. That was back in 1997, when Rostock native Jan Ullrich claimed the title. This year, seven German cyclists hope to win the prestigious yellow jersey for themselves. The Germans competing in this year's Tour are: Florian Lipowitz Georg Zimmermann Phil Bauhaus Nils Politt Pascal Ackermann Maximilian Schachmann Emanuel Buchmann Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar took home the title last year, as well as in 2020 and 2021. He is once again considered a favourite to win. Also competing this year is two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark.
DW
12 hours ago
- DW
Germany udpates: 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). A 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
