07/13/2026 – 09:31 AM
Neunkirchen (ots)
A wildfire above the Biedersbergweg in Neunkirchen threatened on Sunday afternoon, July 12, to spread to a group of buildings and the extensive forest area around Kuchenberg and Eberstein. Under challenging meteorological conditions, the fire quickly spread to an area of about 5,100 square meters. The buildings threatened by the fire were successfully protected by the Neunkirchen Volunteer Fire Department, preventing the fire from spreading to the forest towards Wiebelskirchen.
Numerous people from Neunkirchen and Wiebelskirchen called the emergency number on Sunday afternoon around 3 PM when they saw a threatening plume of smoke rising above Kuchenberg and the neighboring Eberstein. Fire trucks from the surrounding fire districts Neunkirchen City Center, Wiebelskirchen, and Hangard were dispatched after the alarm. The tanker fire engine specially designed for fighting forest fires from the Münchwies fire district also set off. Initially, the exact location of the incident in the extensive forest area was unknown. At first, the fire was suspected to be in the area of Eberstein, accessible from Wiebelskirchen. However, the fire could quickly be localized on an area above Biedersbergweg at the edge of Neunkirchen city center.
There, the fire had spread rapidly across an open meadow area at the forest edge. On one side, the fire threatened a small group of buildings around a residential house, on the other side, the forest area stretching between the city center and Wiebelskirchen. The fire was driven by the partly very gusty wind. But the air temperature of over 30 °C and the low humidity of well below 30% also favored the fire. These three factors combined cause the vegetation to dry out even faster and thus catch fire more easily. While these factors promote the fire, they also pose an additional strain on the emergency services.
From two flanks, the Neunkirchen firefighters attacked the spreading vegetation fire to protect both the threatened group of houses and the forest. On one side of the fire area, the firefighters stopped the flames almost at the garden fence, thus saving the residential house and its outbuildings from damage. On the opposite side of the fire, the flames had already spread beyond the first rows of trees, but only the forest floor was burning here. Here too, the firefighters succeeded in stopping further spread of the flames and protecting the forest.
The forces of the Neunkirchen Volunteer Fire Department were reinforced throughout the operation by additional fire units from the entire district of Neunkirchen. The drone unit of the Eppelborn Fire Department supplied the operations command with aerial images for better planning of tactical measures. Two intermunicipally established specialized units also brought additional equipment and personnel for long-distance water supply and vegetation fire fighting on site.
These fresh forces partially relieved the Neunkirchen firefighters during the further course of operations and took over the final extinguishing work. Firefighters search the fire area for any remaining hotspots and put them out to prevent a renewed outbreak of fire.
At its peak, around 150 emergency personnel were involved in the operation in Biedersbergweg and the forest area above it. In addition to the Neunkirchen fire department, the fire departments of Eppelborn, Illingen, Merchweiler, Ottweiler, Schiffweiler, and Spiesen-Elversberg were also deployed. To support the emergency personnel burdened by the high summer weather conditions, an ambulance was on standby throughout the entire operation. The ambulance initially deployed by the Neunkirchen fire department was later replaced by one from the German Red Cross (DRK) in Illingen. As the mop-up work progressed, the number of emergency personnel could be gradually reduced. Around 6 p.m., the fire department was finally able to completely conclude its operation.
