Some of the Berliners were banned from lighting fireworks in a large part of their city, but tried to release them on New Year’s Eve, which led to dozens of fires in the German capital.
At six minutes after midnight, the Berlin fire brigade was called to 18 fires, and more followed. No one was seriously injured initially.
Berlin entertainers usually take to the streets on New Year’s Eve to light the air with fireworks, but authorities have banned its use in more than 50 zones in the capital to discourage crowds.
The sale of fireworks was also banned in the run-up to 31 December in Germany, which was closed with only essential shops open until at least 10 January to try to suppress the new coronavirus.
After Germany fared better than many of its neighbors in the early stages of the pandemic last year, Germany has seen an increase in cases and deaths related to Covid-19. A record high of 1,129 new cases was reported on Wednesday.