BERLIN (AFP) – A large fire broke out yesterday in a popular forest in western Berlin following an explosion in a police munitions storage site, as a new heatwave enveloped Germany.
Firefighters have so far only been able to begin tackling two of the four fires, as the affected area of 15,000 square metres included a storage site for police ammunition.
Explosions were intermittently rocking the area, including a large detonation heard by AFP at 0900GMT.
No one has been hurt by the fires. Berlin fire brigade has sought tanks from the army to help combat the flames, said spokesman Thomas Kirstein, adding that “we’re still waiting”.
“The fire is still not under control and is spreading further,” he said, noting that the situation is “extremely extraordinary with munitions”.
Officials are building a security cordon to allow firefighters to begin their work from around a kilometre’s distance from the ammunition storage zone.
