USAG Rheinland-Pfalz, German firefighters unite to battle autobahn brush fire

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz firefighters joined forces with German emergency responders April 26 to contain a large brush fire that threatened the A6/A63 autobahn interchange.

When the fire broke out in north Kaiserslautern, flames and heavy smoke forced the closure of the major traffic route. German firefighters at the Kaiserslautern Main Dispatch Center issued a request for support, and the garrison's Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) responded without delay.

DES Deputy Fire Chief Robert Womble led the response, deploying Engine-12 from Fire Station1 Kaiserslautern East alongside Hook-37, a 7,000-liter water tender from Miesau Army Depot.

"Our crews were ready to move," said Womble. "We train for these situations and working with our German partners, we were able to get the fire under control and keep it from spreading further."

Garrison fire crews were initially staged at the nearby ZAK industrial complex before being integrated into the host nation's incident command. Working side by side, American and German firefighters carried out water shuttle operations and attacked the fire from the hillside and along the autobahn.

The scale of the fire and dense smoke kept the A6/A63 interchange closed until late Sunday night.

Personnel on scene included Womble; Engine-12 Crew Chief Markus Roughton, Driver Operator Rafael Kuhnert and Firefighter Manuel Schwoerer; and Hook-37 firefighters Martin Sauer and Michael Laufer.

The response reflects ongoing cooperation between USAG Rheinland-Pfalz and local German emergency services. In 2024, the garrison's DES formalized a mutual aid agreement with several surrounding communities including Bruchmühlbach-Miesau, to better prepare coordinated response efforts during emergencies such as fires and floods.

Editor's note: Cameron Hochheim, Kaiserslautern High School student and public affairs intern, contributed to this story.