German firefighters monitor Belgian wildfire nearing border; fields watered near Monschau

Firefighters in the German town of Monschau are keeping a close watch on a significant wildfire raging in neighboring Belgium, which has drawn nearer to the border. While an immediate threat to German soil is not anticipated, the Monschau fire department has taken precautionary measures.

"We are definitely keeping an eye on the situation," stated Philipp Krüger, the operations leader for the Monschau fire department, to the dpa news agency. Fire crews have been watering fields near the German-Belgian border to gain time against the advancing flames, with support from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW).

The town of Monschau had previously urged some residents to prepare for a possible evacuation, affecting the districts of Kalterherberg and Mützenich, home to around 5,000 people. A town spokesperson emphasized these were precautionary steps, and an evacuation was not currently expected.

Belgian emergency services reported that the fire front in the High Fens region is now approximately three kilometers from the German border. The High Fens is a cross-border plateau between Germany and Belgium. Belgian authorities have reportedly ordered the evacuation of the village of Küchelscheid, located immediately west of the Kalterherberg district. According to the Belgian news agency Belga, about 600 people in two Belgian towns were instructed to leave their homes due to the fast-spreading fire, shifting wind directions, and heavy smoke.

The governor of the Belgian province of Liège announced that the wildfire has consumed an area of 2,700 hectares, equivalent to nearly 3,800 football fields. In contrast, a fire in the Hürtgenwald forest, about 20 kilometers from Monschau, affected approximately 300 hectares. Meanwhile, residents in the Hürtgenwald area can breathe easier, as the situation near the Gey district has eased, allowing evacuated residents to return home.