Several firefighting helicopters are back in action fighting the large forest fire in Hürtgenwald (Düren district).
As on Friday, the helicopters will also be dropping large amounts of fire-fighting water over the flames on Saturday, the district said. Spokesman Ingo Latotzki told the dpa that three helicopters were currently in use and seven more were expected.
A total of 1,400 people are now deployed. Police water cannons would also be used. The fire situation is currently static after the source of the fire did not grow during the night. The Gey district remains evacuated for the time being for security reasons, it was said. Residents from the districts of Vossenack, Hürtgen, Kleinhau and Simonskall should use water sparingly.
“The night was good,” said District Administrator Ralf Nolten (CDU) to the German Press Agency in the morning. There was very good progress in fighting the fire. The current events cannot be compared to those of the previous day: “Yesterday morning there was a real fight and now there is controlled work,” the district administrator made clear.
On Saturday morning, the fire department also said it was “very satisfied” with the results of the firefighting in the Hürtgen Forest so far. Fire department spokesman Peter Berndgen told the German Press Agency that much of the further work now depends on weather developments. “We have a fresh, gusty wind here in the Hürtgen Forest, that could be another point.” But the following applies: “Basically, we start the day very positively.”
The aim of fighting the fire is now to move more and more towards the middle of the forest fire. “What is possible under the general conditions: We are on an area where ammunition is suspected.” There are still many grenades from the Second World War in the Hürtgen Forest because a major battle took place there at the end of 1944 as the Allies advanced.
Berndgen said the forces would be significantly increased again throughout the day. Around midday, ten or eleven helicopters would probably be in use at the same time. “I think there are hardly any comparable locations where there has been such massive use of helicopters.” In addition, there are now some “auxiliary construction sites”, such as optimizing the water supply for the fire department. “We are building access to the dams,” said Berndgen. “We’re in a forest area where no one else goes.”
Hundreds of emergency services have been fighting the flames at the town in the Eifel since Thursday afternoon. According to the Düren district, around 300 hectares of forest are affected by the fire. According to the state government, the forest fire is probably the largest in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The focus is on the town of Gey, which was evacuated early on Friday morning and whose around 2,000 residents were staying with relatives and friends. According to Berndgens, two Bundeswehr recovery vehicles also cut paths in the area of the district during the night. This should prevent the fire from spreading as much as possible.
The fire department is preparing for a day-long operation, said Berndgen. Every twelve hours, around 500 emergency services from North Rhine-Westphalia made their way to the fire area for a shift change. The operational planning currently extends until Monday. On Saturday afternoon, NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) also wants to get an on-site picture of the situation in the fire area.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) informed himself about the current situation on Saturday morning. In a telephone call on Saturday morning, Düren District Administrator Ralf Nolten informed the Chancellor about the status of the fire areas, the district said. During the conversation, Merz “expressly thanked all the helpers.”
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) said during a visit to the site that he had never seen anything like it. “It makes you incredibly uneasy,” he said. "That's clear. I'm thinking about the people who live here and who fear for their houses. We have to take care of them now, and this job is done by all of these 1,400 people who are out and about here. Everyone is helping, I think it's fantastic. And there are also a lot of volunteers. It's amazing to see how much willingness there is in our state to help one another."
Reul appealed to all citizens to stay away from forests: “It’s just crazy that people are now walking around in forests,” he criticized. "Everyone knows the fire was started by some idiot. Some idiot caused the fire. And you have to think about how irresponsible people are running around in the area, just throwing something away." That is the real problem, says Reul. “And now the 1,400 people have to try to get it under control.”
So far, five people have been injured in the large forest fire. An elderly person had heart problems during the evacuation, said Düren District Administrator Ralf Nolten (CDU) to the dpa. In addition, four emergency services were slightly injured. These include a cut and circulatory problems.
In connection with several current forest fires in North Rhine-Westphalia, the State Ministry of the Interior took over the coordination. The so-called coordination group of the state government's crisis team was activated. It also coordinates the availability of emergency services and special equipment. In addition to helicopters from the NRW police, helicopters from Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate as well as the Federal Police and Bundeswehr were also used to fight the fire.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) and Gorißen appealed to the population not to enter forests at the moment. “Fires can spread rapidly and cut off escape routes,” they warned.
Only around 60 kilometers as the crow flies from Hürtgenwald, a major forest and meadow fire broke out on Friday in the Mayen-Koblenz district of Rhineland-Palatinate. Around 50 hectares burned there, as a spokesman for the district said. Several houses in one district were evacuated, but the evacuation of two other places was averted. Around 300 forces were deployed for hours during the fight. According to official information, seven firefighters were slightly injured.
