Heavy smoke from a wildfire near the summit of a mountain in the German Alps is affecting nearby residents. Located at the top of a steep mountain, it’s a tricky one to put out.
A fire has broken out in a forest at the top of a mountain peak in the Chiemgau Alps, in the south-eastern corner of Germany.
The Traunstein district fire brigade association reported that a large-scale operation in the area near Unterwössen is currently underway to contain it.
The flames are located high up in a mountainous region, making the fire itself particularly hard to reach and therefore hard to fight.
The local population has been warned to be cautious of the smoke.
“People are asked to keep the windows and doors closed, to turn off the ventilation and air conditioning systems and to avoid the area around the scene,” said a spokesman for the district’s fire brigade.
On Wednesday evening, a column of smoke could be seen rising from the summit area.
The exact size of the fire is not yet known, nor is the cause. Authorities did confirm that so far no one was injured.
The conditions at the time of the outbreak of the fire appear similar to those at the Saurüsselkopf fire, which occurred near Ruhpolding in May. Also located on a high mountain peak, that fire was extremely difficult to fight.
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Firefighters are setting up long hoses with sprinklers around the fire’s perimeter to try and contain the spread.
“You can imagine it like a large garden sprinkler. This will irrigate the area that is not affected by the fire to prevent the fire from spreading further,” a fire brigade spokesman told DPA.
Three firefighting helicopters were also in action on Wednesday evening.
“You can’t get to the original fire with vehicles,” the fire department spokesman said.
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