Shortly after five o’clock the warning apps ring, reporting “extreme danger”: A fire in Berlin-Nikolassee has triggered a large-scale operation by the Berlin fire brigade. As she confirmed on Twitter, over 100 forces are deployed on the Kronprinzessinnenweg. “There will be explosions,” it says. / Grunewald explosion
The reason: probably an unintentional explosion at the blasting site set fire to a storage facility for ammunition belonging to the Berlin police and also the Grunewald. According to the fire department, explosive devices and fireworks are stored at the police detonation site.
“The situation is unclear. The forest continues to burn uncontrollably,” said a spokesman. According to their own statements, the fire brigade has not yet started extinguishing due to further explosions and flying debris.
Firefighters can only fight from a distance
“We are currently in the consultation and observation phase,” the spokesman said. There are 120 firefighters on site and a police helicopter is being used to assess the situation. The aim is now to fight the fire at a distance of 1,000 meters from the blast site. The firefighters cannot get any closer so as not to endanger themselves from further explosions.
According to a police spokesman, it is still completely unclear how the explosion could have happened. Found ammunition is stored on the square and defused in a controlled manner by the explosive ordnance disposal service of the Berlin police.
15,000 square meters burn in Grunewald
The fire is currently burning in an area of around one and a half hectares, i.e. around 15,000 square meters, but is spreading further. This also includes the area of the detonation site, where an explosion is said to have triggered the fire on Thursday morning, said a fire department spokesman.
It can be assumed that the high level of drought in the area will affect the further course of the fire, it said. The heat expected on Thursday will primarily cause problems for the emergency services.
“Extreme danger” reported in Berlin – Avus blocked / Grunewald explosion
The warning app Nina reports “extreme danger” because of the fire: People should drive around the area and turn off ventilation and air conditioning, residents should keep windows and doors closed.
“Explosion noises and nuisance from smoke gases” are to be expected. According to the first findings of the fire brigade, residential areas are not in danger. “We will prevent that,” said a spokesman for the fire department on Thursday morning. The nearest residential buildings are at least two kilometers away.
Users also report explosions on Twitter: Several Berliners claim to have heard an explosion as far away as Spandau. Another writes that shortly after three o’clock he was woken up by “heavy, continuous explosions”. The reports also come from Halensee, Schlachtensee and Kleinmachnow.
Because of the major fire, there are closures in Berlin-Nikolassee: Kronprinzessinnenweg, Havelchaussee and BAB115 (Avus) are blocked off in the danger area. “Please avoid the area over a large area!” warns the Berlin fire brigade via app.
Fire in the Grunewald: rail traffic in Berlin interrupted
The regional and S-Bahn traffic to the west is also interrupted. The S-Bahn line S7 only runs from Berlin to Grunewald, as a railway spokesman said. In regional traffic, lines RE1 and RE7 as well as RB21 and RB22 between Berlin-Wannsee and Berlin-Friedrichstraße are interrupted.
It was not initially known to what extent long-distance traffic was affected due to the fire brigade operation. Passengers can still take the S1 to Potsdam.
