German forest fires burn equivalent of 1,771 football pitches in 2023

Forest fires in Germany affected an area equivalent to around 1,771 football pitches in 2023.

A total of 1,059 fires were recorded during the year, destroying around 1,240 hectares of forest, according to the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL) in Bonn. The figures were more than double in 2022, at 2,397 fires and 3,058 hectares.

While the number of fires last year was just below the long-term average of 1,157, the area of forest burnt was around 44% higher than the average of 859 hectares.

Most forest fires (85%) occurred in the months of May to July, with more than half the damage being caused in May.

The BZL says the exact cause of a fire often remains unknown. Around 77% of the forest area burned due to unexplained reasons, while negligence was confirmed to be responsible for 14%.

More than half of the fires caused by negligence were attributed to the general public, including campers, visitors or children.