{
  "id": 1161122,
  "title": "Wildfires: Situation near Monschau is becoming more critical – fire is getting closer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/waldbrande-lage-bei-monschau-spitzt-sich-zu-brand-ruckt-naher",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-15T19:07:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/waldbraende-lage-bei-monschau-spitzt-sich-zu-brand-rueckt-naeher/100247502.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "A large wildfire in Belgium is spreading towards Germany, prompting concerns for residents in the nearby German town of Monschau. The fire, located in the High Venn region, is approximately 3 kilometers from the German border, with Monschau just 2 kilometers away. Authorities have advised residents in certain areas to prepare for evacuation, with arrangements being made for emergency shelters, and around 600 people have already been evacuated from Belgian villages Küchelscheid and Leykaul. The fire has so far burned an area of 2700 hectares in Belgium, equivalent to nearly 3800 football fields.",
  "summary": "In North Rhine-Westphalia's Monschau, residents are preparing for evacuations - in the Belgian High Venn, around 2700 hectares are affected by the fire. The situation near Hürtgenwald has eased.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Wildfires: Fire in Belgium – Monschau prepares for evacuations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/waldbrande-brand-in-belgien-monschau-bereitet-evakuierungen-vor",
        "published": "2026-08-15T17:50:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}