Waldbrand im Hohen Venn: Einsatzkräfte hoffen auf Entspannung

In the German-Belgian border area, the emergency services hope to soon be able to contain the fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve. “The goal is to push back the fires and keep the areas that we have saved so far fire-free,” said Tobias Schell, fire department spokesman in the city of Monschau on the German side. A bright spot is the rain, which is also forecast for today. “That definitely plays into our hands.”

But the situation is not yet under control. The biggest problem is the northeastern flank of the fire, which is particularly difficult to reach. “This is our critical point,” said Schell. This fire line is 2.3 kilometers from the German border.

Fire department warns against rumors on the Internet

“As long as we don’t see a clear easing of tensions, the evacuation will not be lifted,” he said, referring to the approximately 30 citizens from Monschau-Kalterherberg who had to leave their homes on Sunday evening. There are rumors to the contrary on the Internet, but they are false, emphasized Schell. In the morning, firefighters want to check whether residents can return to their homes.

During the night, firefighters and the technical relief organization on the German side set up portable fire-fighting water basins and filled them with water. This means that buildings at risk can be better protected if the fire spreads further.

The smell of burning reached Cologne

The head of crisis communications for the Belgian province of Liège, Tony Hosmans, said firefighters were trying to "completely encircle" the fire. If this succeeds, “one can hope that it can be brought under control.” The residents of the village of Sourbrodt in the Belgian municipality of Weismes were able to return to their homes from Monday evening.

On Tuesday, fighting the fire was hampered by smoke. Firefighting helicopters were therefore unable to take off. The smell of fire could still be felt more than 100 kilometers away in the Cologne area and east of it. In the evening, however, the Cologne fire department reported that the “odor situation” no longer existed. It is not yet possible to predict how the smoke will develop on Wednesday, said Schell.

In the High Fens, 3,000 hectares of natural area went up in flames.