Belgium requests Germany's assistance in combating the largest forest fire in its history

Belgian authorities have requested that Germany send relief teams to help combat the largest forest fire in Belgium’s history.

The Aachen urban district announced that assistance has already begun. A spokesperson for the German town of Monschau, located near the Belgian border, said that relief teams would participate in firefighting operations near Kerschel, a Belgian town adjacent to Monschau.

The spokesperson added that teams designated for the cross-border joint operation are currently being assembled. The situation in Monschau itself is stable; the fires are approximately 1.5 kilometers from the German border and about 1.8 kilometers from populated areas on the German side. The spokesperson noted that favorable wind conditions currently prevail, with winds blowing away from Monschau.

Monschau does not currently expect the flames to spread into German territory, but it has specifically warned of potentially harmful foul odors. The fires have engulfed approximately 2,700 hectares of land on the other side of the border, marking the largest forest fire in Belgium’s history. Currently, little or no smoke is being detected in areas under Monschau’s jurisdiction.

Earlier, city authorities concluded that the potential evacuation of residents from the Motsenich and Kalterherberg districts in Monschau, totaling around 5,000 people, was no longer necessary at present. Residents of these two areas had been asked on the night of Saturday/Sunday to prepare for a possible evacuation as a precautionary measure. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Keulen also wrote on the X platform that parts of the fire advancing toward Monschau are now under control.