B 167 - 2026

Report

The fire departments of the Winnweiler Municipal Association were initially alerted to a wildfire in the Steinbach am Donnersberg area. As the situation developed, the incident classification was elevated to “B3 – Forest Fire” due to several calls received by the dispatch center and the prevailing dry conditions. Consequently, in addition to the units from the Winnweiler municipal association, additional tanker trucks were dispatched from the member municipalities of Göllheim and Kirchheimbolanden.

Upon arrival at the scene, it became apparent that approximately 1.5 hectares of unmowed, dry meadow, as well as a plot of land with fruit trees and hedges, were on fire. Due to the prevailing wind, there was a risk that the fire would spread toward the adjacent forest. Consequently, the four fire trucks from the Steinbach, Imsbach, and Winnweiler fire departments immediately began fighting the fire front using the “pump and roll” method. The rapid response of the firefighters ensured that the fire’s spread was halted about 30 meters from the forest.

At the same time, firefighting operations had already begun on the flanks. Ground crews from the Steinbach and Börrstadt units tackled the northern flank, while the Göllheim and Dannenfels tanker trucks were deployed to the south, in the area of the orchard. The water supply was initially provided by the swap body on the swap-body truck, which held 10,000 liters of water. Later, the Börrstadt Fire Department set up a water intake point at Theresienhof.

As part of the follow-up firefighting efforts, a total of eight fruit trees had to be cut down to ensure the fire was thoroughly extinguished.