Forest fire in Belgium: Monschau is preparing for evacuations

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, it is expected that there will be significant smoke pollution and smoke precipitation from the morning onwards, it was said early in the morning. Health risks from the fire smoke cannot be ruled out. 2,700 hectares of forest have already been affected by fire. If possible, residents should stay with relatives or friends. The establishment of emergency shelters is being prepared, it said. This is initially a preventative measure. On the Belgian side, the evacuation of around 600 people from the towns of Küchenlscheid and Leykaul began on Saturday.