At least the residents of Traisen are allowed to return to their homes on Monday evening, two days after the forest fire broke out; the evacuation of the village has been lifted. Nevertheless, the situation in the forest at Rotenfels and Kreuznacher Hardt remains critical. In this area, which is now a nature reserve, unexploded ordnance from both sides of the war was detonated at the end of World War II. Unexploded ordnance still lies buried in the ground and continues to detonate even more than eighty years later. The fire triggered several explosions, as reported by SWR. As a result, the fire department was unable to extinguish the fire and instead had to create firebreaks at a safe distance to prevent it from spreading. Two days after the wildfire broke out, a firefighting robot delivered from Lower Saxony was deployed.

As of Monday, the wildfire is under control, though there are still pockets of embers. The area remains off-limits. When the Hardt-Lines will be open for riding again is currently a less pressing question. The MTB Bad Kreuznach club, which operates the trails, is urging people to avoid the area and keep the access roads clear for the fire department. They will provide an update when the trails are open again, according to the club’s statement. You can also simply check the trail status on the website.

“Give the forest the time it needs right now,” writes the MTB Bad Kreuznach club in an Instagram post.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mountainbike Bad Kreuznach e.V. (@mtb_bad.kreuznach_ev)