Great Forest Fires On German-Czech Border, Authorities Ask Tourists To Stay Away From Location

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JAKARTA - A massive forest fire on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic is spreading and could destroy the forests of a national park popular with tourists.

The fires in the so-called Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech region and in the Saxon Switzerland National Park on the German side started last weekend, BNA news agency quoted via Antara as saying, Friday, July 29.

Previously, the fire was considered to be under control, but spread again in the early hours of Thursday. Hundreds of firefighters in Germany and the Czech Republic are trying to extinguish the blaze with help from neighboring Poland and Slovakia.

Eight fire-fighting helicopters worked to extinguish the fire in a hilly and rocky area that was difficult to access and about 250 hectares of forest burned on Thursday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Local authorities warned tourists to stay away from the area.

Saxony state officials have banned mountaineers from entering some forests in the area.

"Everything is very tense, we cannot say at all that the fire is abating, but the firefighters are doing their best," said German Interior Minister Armin Schuster.

Another large forest fire in the Elbe-Elster district in the eastern state of Brandenburg, Germany was brought under control on Thursday, July 28 after previously burning again on Wednesday the day before. The fire burned an area of 500 hectares.

A police helicopter scanned the area with heat-tracking cameras for hot spots that could cause a fire.

Some areas are contaminated with munitions left over from World War 2 and too dangerous for firefighters to enter as heat or human contact can cause explosions.