Large fire spreading in German forest full of old ammunition

A forest fire that broke out on a former military training ground in the German state of Brandenburg on Wednesday was on Saturday still defying efforts of firefighters to contain it, reported dpa.

Rising winds had exacerbated the situation in the woods by Jüterbog, 60 kilometres south-west of the capital Berlin, officials said.

"The fire is just increasing in size," the fire brigade's head of operations Rico Walentin told dpa. Local authorities reported earlier that a total area of about 35 hectares was burning.

The operation to extingish the blaze was also complicated by the munitions-infested terrain. Fire crews could not reach the location because of the danger of old ammunition exploding.

Two fire-fighting planes that repeatedly dropped water on the burning area on Friday were no longer in action as the effect was insufficient, according to Walentin. Ten fire engines were instead deployed to pump water from the roadside.

"We have to see if the wind plays in our favour," the fire chief said, hoping for calm and above all rain. However, no precipitation was forecast over the weekend.