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Forestry boss' mishap sparks forest fire

The sun shines through the leaves of bamboo trees in the Parc Bordelais on an autumn day in Bordeaux, France, October 9, 2015. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

The Bavarian Forestry Minister inadvertently took his work home with him, after starting a fire in his back yard that required a slew of firefighters to put out.

Helmut Brunner dumped the remains of a bonfire held on his property into a wooded area of his backyard last weekend. He was unaware that there were hot embers in the residue, and the blaze quickly spread.

A passing motorist alerted officials to the fire and the minister called them a short time later.

According to the Telegraph, 22 firemen were called to the scene and a total of 4,000 litres of water was used to fight the blaze.

“I completely underestimated it,” he told Bavarian radio. “This is really embarrassing. You can’t be too careful.”

This is particularly embarrassing for the minister, who’s spent most of the summer issuing warnings about the dangers of forest fires in the region.

To add, ahem, fuel to the fire, it was also reported that the minster broke one of his own rules of burning garden waste on a public holiday.

“Such a thing will never happen to me again,” Brunner told Bavarian radio.