World

Firefighters contain wildfire in German national park

By Simone Daiker and Miriam Schmidt

Jul 19, 2026

Win fans German wildfire which spreads to 388 hectares — A wildfire at Germany's Müritz National Park has spread close to 400 hectares. -AP

Firefighters have contained a wildfire in Müritz National Park in north-eastern Germany by creating water barriers to stop the blaze from spreading.

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The barriers soak the ground and trees in unburned parts of the forest, creating a buffer to prevent the fire from spreading further. Watering continued throughout Saturday evening.

The fire has burned about 388 hectares and was being tackled by around 370 firefighters, a spokesman for the Mecklenburg Lake District said.

A firefighting helicopter that had supported operations completed its mission.

The fire had spread because there had been no rain so far, the spokesman said, with westerly winds further fanning the flames.

Authorities said smoke was continuing to subside, indicating the fire was becoming less active, but urged tourists to stay away from the area.

Firefighting efforts have been complicated because part of the affected area is a former military training ground that may contain unexploded ammunition. Active firefighting has therefore been limited to the eastern part of the site, while police water cannon and a specialist firefighting unit from the neighbouring state of Lower Saxony were deployed to help.