On Friday midday, a larger forest area between Merchweiler and Bildstock caught fire. Around 100 personnel from the district of Neukirchen and the Saarbrücken regional association were on site for several hours.
The fire departments from Merchweiler, Neunkirchen, Bildstock, and Friedrichsthal were alerted on Friday around 1 p.m. to a forest fire on the L112 between Merchweiler and Bildstock. Upon the arrival of the first units, the fire was already raging over a large area in the underbrush. District fire inspector Michael Sieslack took over the command on site and coordinated the approximately 100 requested emergency personnel from the Neunkirchen district and the Saarbrücken regional association.
During the operation, the fire spread over an area of a total of 1.5 hectares in a difficult-to-access terrain. The emergency forces launched a massive firefighting attack to get the fire under control. Since the terrain was difficult to observe and to gain a better overview of the site, two drones were requested from the Illingen and Völklingen fire departments. The remote location of the site further complicated the operation. To ensure a stable water supply for firefighting, a water supply line of more than 2 kilometers had to be established during the operation. After a total of 3 hours, the fire was under control, and mop-up operations could begin. The emergency forces soaked the ground heavily with a special foaming agent and broke open the burnt wooden logs with axes to prevent the re-ignition of hot spots. Late in the evening, the last of the more than 20 emergency vehicles were able to return.
22 vehicles and nearly 100 emergency personnel from the fire department, the German Red Cross, and the police were deployed.
After the operation ends, the work of the fire departments continues, as the readiness of the vehicles must be restored. This means for the many volunteer helpers that hoses need to be cleaned, equipment checked and if necessary replaced, generators and vehicles refueled, and protective clothing washed.
