A LARGE fire broke out today in a popular forest in western Berlin following an explosion in a police munitions storage site, as a new heatwave was due to envelop Germany over the day.

Firefighters were still unable to begin putting out the flames as the affected area of 15,000sqm included a storage site for police ammunition.

“There are still explosions” at the storage area neighbouring Grunewald forest, said a spokesman for Berlin’s firefighter service. 

“The situation is unpredictable. It’s burning uncontrollably in the forest,” he added.

Officials are building a security cordon to allow firefighters to begin extinguishing the flames from a distance of about 1km from the ammunition storage zone. 

A police helicopter was circling the area, as authorities appealed for the public to keep away. 

Temperatures are expected to climb to as high as 40°C across parts of Germany. In Berlin, they are predicted to reach 38°C. 

Brandenburg, the region surrounding Berlin, has for days been battling forest fires. – AFP, August 3, 2022.