According to the fire department, the fire, which has recently become significantly larger in a steep forest near Schramberg (Rottweil district), is difficult to extinguish. “The emergency services cannot move closer to the source of the fire because the terrain does not allow it,” said the district. “The safety of our firefighters comes first.” According to the fire department, a total of 250 emergency services are currently at the scene of the fire.
The fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve is no longer advancing towards the German border. Light rain, no wind and high humidity played into the hands of the emergency services. “This is good for us,” said a fire department spokesman in the operations control center in Kalterherberg, a district of Monschau.
The forest fire near Schramberg in the Rottweil district (Baden-Württemberg) spread significantly during the night. According to a police spokesman, around ten to twelve hectares of forest are now burning, which is about the size of 14 football fields. On Sunday evening, around two hectares were still in flames. The fire department announced that night that more than 160 firefighters from the entire Rottweil district and beyond were on site.
According to a city spokesman, the flames that came within 300 meters of the evacuated buildings in Monschau during the night were “smaller sources of fire, not the major fire front”. The spokesman for “Bild” said this. The fire is still on the Belgian side. The spokesman does not expect any spillover into German territory in the next few hours.
The fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve is approaching the first residential development on German territory. The flames were about 300 meters in front of the buildings that were evacuated a few hours ago, said Monschau fire department spokesman Tobias Schell. The houses in the villages of Ruitzhof and Geisberg with around 30 residents were evacuated around 10 p.m.
The fire fighters still hoped to be able to save them: “Between the fire and the houses there are meadows that we have completely soaked with water in the last few hours.” Every minute during the night, transporters with water tanks rushed through Kalterherberg, which belongs to Monschau, to the operational area. On the next hill you could see firelight, which sometimes brightened and then became dimmer again. Not only would the meadows be watered, but large water tanks would also be constantly refilled for the fire engines that fight the flames directly. The water has to be brought in from the Eierbach dam.
The mayor's deputy, Franz-Karl Boden, commented on the ordered evacuation of several streets in Monschau. This step was taken as a precautionary measure to protect the population. “When the wind shifts, we definitely have a lot of smoke pollution,” Boden said. With westerly winds there could also be a tendency for the fire to spread eastwards. “The fire department is set up accordingly,” explained Boden. If the flames get closer, the fire department can respond.
The immediate evacuation of two blocks late Sunday evening was “better now than in the middle of the night,” said Boden. “At the moment we have no indication at all of further evacuations,” he clarified. The police were present in the affected streets. As a dpa reporter in Monschau described, a family took a horse in a car trailer. Another family discussed with officials and then drove off. “The vast majority are staying with relatives or friends,” explained Boden. But the emergency accommodation in a school is also used by at least a few of those affected.
Because of the enormous forest fire in the High Fens, the authorities have ordered an evacuation in parts of the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Monschau. “The current development of the fire in the High Fens requires an immediate evacuation of the following streets in Kalterherberg: Ruitzhof and Geisberg,” the city of Monschau announced on its website.
“The houses must be left immediately,” it said. The residents should leave the settlements independently. A city spokeswoman for Monschau told the "Bild": "We are now walking from house to house and informing the residents. This is purely a safety evacuation. We are doing this now so that we don't have to wake people up around 3 or 4 a.m." The city announced that emergency accommodation had been set up at the secondary school in Simmerath. 17 houses and a maximum of 30 people are affected.
The local fire chief Luc Burette said on Sunday afternoon about the fire in the High Fens nature reserve: “If we cannot contain the fire, it could reach Germany, we are only 2.5 kilometers from the border.” The city of Monschau said in the morning that the fire front was only about 1.5 kilometers from the German border (1.8 km to the nearest German development).
“We are holding out because everyone wants it to stop,” said firefighter Grégory Mélotte, who completed his third shift fighting the flames on Sunday. The fire, which has destroyed almost 3,000 hectares of vegetation since Friday, is not yet under control. According to the fire department, several fires were still active on Sunday afternoon. Rising winds are making the situation more difficult, said fire chief Burette: “We have once again requested a full fire brigade of reinforcements.”
