Wildfires in Germany injure firefighters

Berlin: Wildfires eastern Germany have severely injured two firefighters and forced the evacuation of more than 100 residents.

Nearly 500 firefighters were battling the fires that broke out Tuesday in Gohrischheide on the border between the eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg.

One female and one male firefighter suffered burns and were seriously injured.

The fires have burned hundreds of hectares (miles) and were still not under control Thursday and a state police helicopter equipped with special cameras to detect pockets of embers was deployed, German news agency dpa reported. Firefighters were having difficulty getting close to the flames because parts of the wildfires were on a former military training area where there is a risk of ammunition detonating.

The villages of Heidehäuser and Neudorf and parts of the village of Lichtensee were evacuated.