Germany's agriculture minister declared the Müritz National Park wildfire extinguished on Monday morning, though the local district administrator disputed the assessment, saying the blaze remains active and operations will likely continue until Wednesday. The Schwerin environment ministry confirmed the fire had been put out, but cautioned that a lasting all-clear cannot be given due to unexploded ordnance scattered across the former military training ground.
Weekend rainfall had eased conditions after the fire, first reported on July 13, scorched roughly 400 hectares. Some 325 personnel remained deployed on Sunday, supported by crews from Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saxony and the federal relief agency, with firefighters from Lower Saxony already heading home.
District Administrator Thomas Müller said he suspects arson caused the blaze. The evacuation of Granzin village, imposed earlier in the week, was provisionally lifted on Saturday.