Germany news: Wildfire forces evacuations in Eifel forest
Hundreds of people had to leave a village near the Hürtgenwald as a wildfire approached. Firefighters say they're unlikely to be able to return today amid high temperatures, humidity and wind. DW has the latest.
On August 14-15, a devastating wildfire raged in Germany's Eifel region, prompting authorities to evacuate over 2,000 residents from the village of Gey, situated near the Belgian border. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze, which had approached the settlement to within 300 meters, but evacuation orders remained in effect.
North Rhine-Westphalia's regional leader Hendrik Wüst expressed optimism that residents of Gey could return home soon, citing the stabilization of the situation. However, weather conditions, including potential windy conditions, posed ongoing challenges to firefighting efforts.
Despite the fire's proximity to the village, no homes were reported to have been destroyed. Over 1,400 firefighters worked tirelessly to bring the wildfire under control, facing additional risks due to unexploded ordnance from World War II buried within the forest.
The fire service spokesperson for the Düren district, Peter Berndgen, reported that the evacuation order for Gey would likely remain in place throughout the day. Meanwhile, the state premier had cut short his vacation to oversee the situation, and emergency services anticipated that the containment efforts would continue through the weekend.
As authorities investigated the cause of the fire, federal minister Alexander Dobrindt praised the efforts of local and federal first responders, highlighting their exceptional performance in challenging conditions.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
