500 evacuated from mountain in central Germany as wildfire breaks out

Some 500 people are being brought to safety from the a mountain in northern Germany due to a forest fire, a spokesman for the Harz district said on Friday as the blaze continued to spread despite efforts to control it.

Tourists, hikers and athletes are being taken by bus down from the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz mountain range.

The wildfire was discovered in the afternoon at Königsberg. District fire chief Kai-Uwe Lohse initially spoke of a fire extending some 300 metres.

By evening, two aeroplanes from the state of Lower Saxony, a plane from the Harz district and a helicopter were deployed in efforts to put out the fire, according to the district spokesman, who said six more helicopters had been requested.

Many fires have merged, creating a larger front, despite the efforts of 150 firefighters on the ground, he said.

The town of Wernigerode and the regional district have formed a joint task force. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways closed a route due to the forest fire, causing significant delays.

Currently, the risk of forest fires is very high in large parts of the state of Saxony-Anhalt after recent blazes, especially in the north of the state, though most were soon extinguished.