Berlin Fire Brigade Draws a Chaotic New Year’s Eve Balance. In total, 1,892 calls had to be handled at the turn of the year, which is 294 more than in the previous year, the fire brigade reported on New Year’s morning.
Among the calls, there were 825 reported fires, 847 rescue operations, and 220 technical assistance and other calls. Notably, there were more fires in residential buildings with endangered people, who had to be rescued and cared for. Additionally, there were two emergency responses where “substantial damage to people and buildings” occurred due to pyrotechnic products.
In the 2023/2024 New Year’s Eve, a total of 1,598 calls were recorded, including 663 fires, 861 rescue operations, and 74 technical assistance and other calls.
The total number of calls is on a significantly higher level than in previous years. The previous high in the last six years was recorded at the turn of the year 2022/2023 with 1,717 calls, which was now clearly exceeded. In the 2020/2021 Corona period, there were 862 calls, and in 2021/2022, there were 1,026 calls. At the turn of the year 2019/2020, the Berlin Fire Brigade responded to 1,523 calls between 19 and 6 am.
At the turn of the year 2024/2025, there were again violent attacks on fire brigade personnel and vehicles in Berlin. For example, the windshield of an emergency vehicle was broken during the drive with a “targeted stone throw.” A total of 13 incidents were documented through the internal reporting system, but it appears that no rescue personnel were injured. Last year, there were 30 incidents.
The police in the capital also had a lot to do on New Year’s Eve. According to preliminary reports, there were up to 330 arrests in Berlin in connection with the New Year’s Eve operation. The emergency responders were “numerously” pelted with pyrotechnics, and in one case, a police officer was severely injured and had to be operated on in a hospital.
The Hamburg police, on the other hand, reported “mainly typical New Year’s Eve celebrations” in the city. However, in the Steindamm (St. Georg) and Schreyerring (Steilshoop) areas, more emergency responders were deployed after pyrotechnic objects were thrown at police officers. The situation was, however, calmed down through the police measures, the officers said.
The Hamburg Fire Brigade recorded a total of 1,365 calls, with 17 on the technical assistance, 484 on the fire protection, 803 on the rescue service, and 61 on the other calls.
There were also larger disturbances in Munich, where police officers were attacked by a larger group of people on the Wittelsbacherbrücke in the city center. According to the police, the group consisted of around 200 to 300 people from the “left spectrum.” The situation was calmed down with strong forces, it was said. There were also attacks on police officers in Leipzig and Gelsenkirchen on New Year’s Eve.
Across the federal territory, there were also several fatal accidents involving pyrotechnics. At least five people lost their lives. In Oschatz near Leipzig and in Hartha in the Mittelsachsen district, two men were fatally injured while handling firecrackers. In Hamburg, a 20-year-old man died shortly after midnight in a banger accident, and a 24-year-old man died in the Kreis Soest, North Rhine-Westphalia, after the explosion of a self-made banger. A 21-year-old man also died in the Oberhavel district in Brandenburg.