Waldbrände: Brand im Hohen Venn – 30 Bewohner bei Monschau evakuiert
Wegen des Waldbrandes im belgischen Hohen Venn mussten am Abend Anwohner auf der deutschen Seite der Grenze ihre Häuser verlassen. Eine Notunterkunft bei Monschau ist eingerichtet.
Düsseldorf - The fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve has moved away from the German border. Light rain, no wind, and high humidity have played into the hands of the firefighters. "This is good for us," said a fire service spokesperson at the control center in Kalterherberg, a district of Monschau. The fire, affecting an area of around 3,000 hectares, is the largest forest fire in Belgium's history.
The fire reached 300 meters to the German border and there were fears that the wind could pick up and exacerbate the situation, driving the flames towards Germany. Residential areas of Ruitzhof and Geisberg, home to around 30 people, were evacuated on Sunday evening at around 10pm. Firefighters hope to save the houses: Warnings that the fire was to be fought with water in the preceding hours had been poured onto the meadows lying between the fire and the houses.
Around 4pm on Sunday, Belgium requested assistance in the firefighting effort, and preparations had already been made.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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