BERLIN (Reuters) – Emergency services have stopped a fire at an ammunitions dump in a western Berlin forest from spreading further, but fire crews on Friday were still unable to approach the source of the blaze due to the risk that World War Two bombs might explode.
The blaze at the Grunewald forest dump broke out on Thursday and spread across 15,000 square meters. An armoured vehicle provided by the German army cut a 5 km (3 mile) fire break through the area overnight, said an army spokesperson, helping to stop the fire from growing.
Nearby train lines and a stretch of highway remained closed on Friday due to a 1,000-meter safety perimeter erected around the dump, where around 30 tons of explosives and ammunition, as well as several hundred kilograms of seized pyrotechnics, were being stored.
Of particular concern are two World War Two bombs, which are currently too hot and pose a danger until they can be cooled to a normal temperature, as well as a ground temperature of 700 degrees Celsius (1,300 Farenheit), a police spokesperson told a news conference.
No injuries from the fire have been reported.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by Matthias Williams and John Stonestreet)
