Authorities hope rain will help in battling wildfires in eastern Germany

BERLIN

Authorities are hoping that approaching rain showers on Monday will provide relief to firefighters battling a massive wildfire in eastern Germany's Gohrischheide region, which has been burning for seven consecutive days.

Several hundred firefighters were struggling to contain the fire on Monday morning, which has burned approximately 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of woodland, making it the largest forest fire in the eastern state of Saxony in more than 30 years.

The Sachsische Zeitung newspaper reported that local authorities were hoping expected showers later in the day could ease the situation. Light rainfall occurred in the area overnight; however, this precipitation was not effective for firefighting efforts. There was also concern that possible strong gusts of wind during the day could further spread the flames rather than extinguish them.

Hundreds of residents had to flee from the flames and smoke and were brought to safety, according to local authorities.

A police investigation into the possible cause of the fire was ongoing. The Dresden Police Department stated that investigators were already on site and had begun their work. "A conclusive determination of the fire's cause is not possible at the present time," a police spokesperson said.