Field fire near A9 at Bitterfeld: Traffic temporarily stopped
Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A large field fire near the A9 motorway at Bitterfeld-Wolfen temporarily disrupted traffic towards Berlin due to heavy smoke.
- Firefighters battled the blaze, which covered approximately 100 hectares, and the motorway lanes were temporarily closed but have since reopened.
- An alert issued via the Nina warning app for affected residents has been lifted, and the cause of the fire remains unclear.
A significant field fire near Bitterfeld-Wolfen caused temporary traffic disruptions on the A9 motorway heading towards Berlin. The blaze, which spread over an area of about 100 hectares, led to visibility issues due to heavy smoke, prompting police to briefly close the affected lanes.
Firefighting crews worked for several hours to extinguish the fire, which was reported around midday and declared out by late afternoon. The police classified the incident as a large-scale fire, with more than 100 firefighters deployed to combat the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Traffic on the A9 has since resumed, and the Mosigkauer Heide parking area, which had been closed in the direction of Berlin, has also been reopened. An alert issued through the Nina warning app for residents in areas like Quellendorf, Salzfurthkapelle, and Lingenau, advising them to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke, has now been lifted.
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.