Hundreds evacuated as wildfire spreads in western Germany
Around 300 emergency services personnel have been sent to try to put out the fire near the town of Huertgenwald.
Around 1,800 residents were forced to evacuate their homes in western Germany as a wildfire rapidly expanded overnight, officials announced on Friday. The blaze, which began in the town of Huertgenwald near the Belgian and Dutch borders, grew from 25 hectares to an alarming 300 hectares by Friday morning. To combat the advancing flames, 300 emergency services personnel were deployed, accompanied by two helicopters and two army tanks.
Additionally, firebreaks have been established within the forest to hinder the spread of the fire. District officials urged residents to gather only essential personal belongings, as they will need to leave within a short time frame. The nationwide heatwave, which saw Germany break its temperature record for three consecutive days in late June, appears to have played a role in igniting the wildfires that have been plaguing various parts of Europe this summer.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today'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.
- Germany news: Wildfire forces evacuations in western woods dw.com
- Wildfire forces evacuation of 1,800 people in North Rhine-Westphalia thelocal.de
- Over 2,000 evacuated in western Germany due to raging wildfire near Belgian border jpost.com
- Wildfire forces evacuation of 1,000 as flames sweep Croatia’s coast euronews.com
- Hundreds evacuated as wildfire spreads in western Germany freemalaysiatoday.com
