German police to carry out planned detonations after Berlin forest fire

Berlin, Aug 30 German authorities will carry out several planned detonations after an explosion at a police blasting site is suspected to have caused a devastating fire in Berlin's Grunewald forest.

Police on Tuesday announced extensive security measures and closures for the surrounding area ahead of Wednesday's operations, reports dpa news agency.

At the beginning of August, a fire broke out at the blasting site after an explosion, but the exact circumstances of the incident have not yet been clarified.

The fire brigade battled to extinguish the flames in the surrounding forest for days.

World War II bombs and ammunition as well as illegal fireworks are stored and destroyed at the site, but authorities are now considering relocating it so that it is further away from residential areas.

According to police, the detonations are scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Four "bombs that are no longer safe to handle" are due to be detonated, they said.

The security zone around the blast site is being expanded.

Between 7.30 a.m. and 4 p.m., the A15 motorway and the parallel railway line are to be closed.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor