AUDIO: Forest fire in Müritz National Park: more than 308 hectares burned (1 min)
Accessed: July 16, 2026 9:57 am.
A forest fire in the Müritz National Park has spread to more than 318 hectares. More than 500 emergency services continue to fight the fire. Old ammunition in the ground and shifting winds make firefighting efforts difficult.
The forest fire in the Müritz National Park continues to spread. Now the tops of the trees have also caught fire, reports an NDR correspondent on the spot. Firefighters tried to prevent this because such fires are difficult to put out. The fire is now spreading upward. Due to the dense population of trees in the national park, sparks could easily jump from crown to crown. After several treetops caught fire Wednesday, the treetop fire did not continue overnight.
A fire has been raging in the popular tourist region since yesterday, and it is difficult to extinguish the fire. Friedrich Leist with updated information.
Explosions caused by ammunition residues
A forest fire in the Müritz National Park has kept emergency services on edge since Monday. Almost 500 emergency services are currently involved. Support also came from Brandenburg and Saxony. In addition, explosions of ammunition lying in the ground occur again and again. “You can hear it clearly,” said a spokesman for the Mecklenburg Lake District. This also applies to larger calibers. Earlier, high-explosive tank grenades were discovered in this area.
Eurofighter flew under the drone
A Eurofighter flight also caused a stir on Wednesday. The plane from Laage was given permission to fly over the national park at an altitude of 70 meters to get an idea of the situation. Despite the no-fly zone established by the district akim due to numerous fire department drones in the air, the Eurofighter flew under the drone. The Bundeswehr subsequently apologized for the incident.
Ammunition complicates firefighting efforts
Rescuers are not allowed to enter the territory of the former military training ground to directly extinguish the fire. A safe distance of about 1,000 meters should be maintained, according to the county. For this reason, technical equipment such as irrigation systems can only be installed at a safe distance. Support must also come from other federal states. According to the Mecklenburg Lake District, there have been requests for additional district sprinklers across the country.
Predicted rain could ease firefighting efforts in the Müritz National Park. But new storms are also possible.
Support from several federal states
Firefighters want to contain the fire using so-called circular sprinklers.
67 additional round sprinklers from Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony and Bavaria have already been installed. Another 120 round sprinklers will be added throughout the day to maintain moisture in the areas and trees in the forested area. THW has also increased its manpower and taken over refueling the booster pumps that pump water into the sprinkler circles. Due to the operation of additional pumps, fuel consumption increased fourfold.
The wind again carried the fire towards Granzin
The winds changed several times, according to the county. Due to heavy smoke, area residents should keep windows and doors closed. The last fire front was located approximately 1.4 km from Granzin. Therefore, the evacuation of the site was continued.
The operation is expected to last several days.
According to the district administration, the fire extinguishing work will last several days. Operations leaders are pinning their hopes on the rain forecast, which isn’t expected until Thursday, but most likely Friday. However, the brief rainfall did not have a significant impact on the firefighting efforts. Due to constantly changing winds, operational management expects the fire to spread to another 30-50 hectares. Authorities and police continue to urge residents and holidaymakers to avoid the area. The district strongly warns against entering the national park. The long-distance cycle path between Berlin and Copenhagen, which passes through the Müritz National Park, is currently impassable, a spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg Lakeland Tourism Association said. There is an alternative route between Neustrelitz and Waren.
Granzin evacuated again
On Tuesday evening, about 100 residents of Granzin were again forced to leave their homes. The reason for this was a change in wind direction, which caused the flames to spread again towards the cities. The community center in Pecatel remains available as temporary housing for those affected. According to the operational department, the mood among residents is calm, despite the stressful situation. “At the emergency shelter, we have cots available that also provide an opportunity to sleep,” explained rescue director David Becker. There is also a supply of drinks and food on site.
Evacuation on Monday evening.
The village of Granzin had already been completely evacuated on Monday evening. The cities of Krinke and Speck should also be cleared. However, when the wind died down, the situation calmed down enough that residents were initially allowed to return to their homes.
A cloud of smoke can be seen from several miles away
The fire apparently started near the observation tower on Köflingsberg and spread quickly due to dry conditions and wind. The cloud of smoke was visible several kilometers away. On Monday evening, reinforcements arrived from other areas, including a special vehicle from the island of Rügen to extinguish forest fires.
A telephone has been installed for citizens
Mecklenburg Lakes County has established a hotline for victims and local residents at (0395) 57087-8230/-8070/-8190.
The map shows where the risk of fires is high in northern Germany and how this risk is developing.
The wind constantly changes direction – a problem for the approximately 200 firefighters on duty. More than 30 hectares were damaged.
It took about 400 emergency services four days to extinguish the fire. At this time, the fire area will continue to be monitored.
A large field near Neubrandenburg caught fire. Residents left their homes as a precaution.
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