Waldbrand in der Gohrischheide unter Kontrolle - Regen hilft

Fire under control

Authorities in Saxony say the wildfire in the Gohrischheide is now under control after rain helped firefighting crews on Monday morning.

The update came from the situation center at the Saxon interior ministry. It marked a clear improvement after a difficult weekend in which the blaze spread across a munitions-contaminated area near the Saxony-Brandenburg border.

The fire began on Saturday afternoon, June 27, 2026, during extreme heat. Early reports described temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius and rapid spread through the reserve.

Overnight progress

The situation improved overnight because the fire did not spread further, according to the reports in the research packet. By Monday morning, the rainfall had begun to support the response and made the firefighting operation easier.

That does not mean the fire is fully out. Officials said it is under control, which leaves open the possibility of remaining hotspots and follow-up work in the area.

A difficult area to fight

The Gohrischheide is unusually hard to work in because parts of the ground are contaminated with old munitions. That limits where crews can safely operate and makes direct firefighting in some sections impossible.

The terrain also complicates access more broadly. Firefighters have been forced to work around the most dangerous sections of the reserve rather than move straight into them.

Raiko Riedel, a fire service spokesman, and local officials had already described the operation as difficult before the latest improvement in the weather.

Large response effort

More than 200 emergency responders were deployed to the fire. Two firefighting helicopters were also used as crews tried to contain the blaze in the reserve.

Earlier reporting on Sunday had put the number of personnel at about 215 and said the team was still hoping for rain. Later reports said the fire remained confined, and by Monday it was under control.

The reserve lies on the border between Saxony and Brandenburg, which adds to the coordination challenge. The fire is burning in a protected landscape where access is limited and the risk profile is shaped by both the dry conditions and the old munitions in the soil.

What happens next

The immediate next step is to see whether the fire can be fully extinguished or whether crews will need to keep working through the day on remaining embers.

Officials have not yet provided a final assessment of the burned area, damage, evacuations, or closures. Those details may still follow as the operation continues.

For now, the main development is the same one firefighters had been waiting for: the combination of an overnight lull and Monday morning rain has shifted the Gohrischheide fire from active spread to controlled containment.

,