Wildfire in Germany's Harz mountains declared extinguished

A forest fire in the Harz mountains of northern Germany has been fully extinguished after several days of firefighting work in rugged terrain, according to local officials on Wednesday.

The fire had broken out on Friday on the Königsberg, a side peak of the Brocken, the tallest mountain in Germany's mostly flat north.

Officials in the nearby city of Wernigerode said on Wednesday that firefighting crews are now being withdrawn and equipment will be dismantled over the next few days.

An investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.

At times, the fire front had spread over a length of more than 1 kilometre in very difficult terrain. Several aircraft and helicopters, including those of the German military and police, were also in the air during the operation.

Only the change in the weather and the rain had eased the situation from Sunday night.

In the past few days, pockets of embers were repeatedly discovered, as crews worked on foot to put out the last remnants of the fire.