Forest fire in Belgium is spreading: evacuation preparations in the northern Eifel

In the northern Eifel, residents are preparing for evacuations - around 2,700 hectares are affected by the fire in the Belgian High Fens. The situation in the Hürtgen Forest has relaxed.

One of the largest forest fires in the country's history is spreading in Belgium: there could also be evacuations on the German side.

Dusseldorf. Due to the spread of a large forest fire from Belgium towards Germany, the situation for the people in the Eifel town of Monschau near the border in North Rhine-Westphalia is becoming more dire. The fire front in the High Fens is only about three kilometers from the German border, the city announced on its website that night.

She called on other districts to prepare for an evacuation and recommended that citizens of some districts voluntarily leave their houses and apartments temporarily due to potentially health-endangering smoke exposure. Monschau is around two kilometers from the border.

In view of the spread of the fire front in the High Fens, Belgian authorities have ordered the evacuation of the Belgian town of Küchenlscheid. This borders the Monschau district of Kalterherberg to the west. The fire is currently about 1.5 kilometers from the German border, as the city reports on its website.

During the day, the German border area will be affected by heavy smoke. Health risks from the fire smoke cannot be ruled out.