Forest fire in Germany's Eifel region spreads, nearly 2,000 evacuated

Forest fire out of control: Nearly 2,000 people evacuated in the Eifel. Emergency services are also fighting the flames in other parts of Germany.

Updated: 14 August 2026, 14:42

Eifel municipality Hürtgenwald: Several hundred hectares in flames. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa

dpa/afp/taz | The fire in the Hürtgenwald in North Rhine-Westphalia has apparently spread rapidly. According to the district administrator of the affected district of Düren, Ralf Nolten (CDU), 300 hectares are currently burning in the Eifel municipality of Hürtgenwald. This corresponds to an area of about 420 football fields. For comparison: On Friday morning, initially "only" about 25 hectares of forest were mentioned.

The municipality of 9,000 inhabitants speaks of a "major damage situation." During the night from Thursday to Friday, it was ordered that the district of Gey, where just over 1,800 people live, be "evacuated immediately."

According to District Administrator Nolten, further evacuations were not initially apparent on Friday. As he told journalists on site, the main focus now is on containing the forest fire along the flanks and fighting hot embers in the ground. The wind is decisive for further dynamics. The operation will take time in any case, he added. "We are far from through."

During the course of Friday, the fire moved increasingly closer to the district of Gey. By morning, according to WDR, the flames had already advanced to within 200 meters of the first houses. The situation on site was initially chaotic, according to WDR. It was said that the fire was out of control.

During the Night the Wind Turned

During the night, the flames were initially still about 500 meters away from the town in the Eifel. Then the wind shifted and the fire advanced further. Shortly before 4 a.m., the fire department decided on the evacuation.

According to the municipality, the district of Großhau is also threatened by the forest fire. There is no evacuation order there yet. However, people are asked to avoid the area.

Police and the Bundeswehr supported the firefighting efforts, according to their own statements, with helicopters equipped with water drop tanks. According to the district administrator, ammunition from World War II hampered ground firefighting operations. During the night, there were occasional "bangs," said CDU man Nolten. This plays a role with regard to the safety of the helpers. Heavy fighting took place in the Hürtgenwald at the end of World War II.

"The emergency services are fighting tirelessly against the flames," said North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) in Düsseldorf. Together with State Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen (CDU), he appealed to the public to stay away from the fires and not to hinder the helpers. In general, forests should not be entered due to the currently high risk of forest fires. Forest fires could "spread rapidly and cut off escape routes."

Fires Also in Other Parts of Germany

Not only in NRW are emergency services fighting numerous forest and area fires in persistently hot and dry weather. In large parts of the country, temperatures are currently well above 30 degrees. According to the German Weather Service, the heatwave will last until the weekend, with local temperatures reaching up to 39 degrees.

Thus, fires are also burning near Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia and Plauen in Saxony, among other places. At the Möhnesee near Soest, according to local fire departments, about 100 helpers were active during the night to Friday to prevent further spread. In Plauen, about 120 emergency personnel fought a forest fire for the fourth consecutive day, partly with heavy equipment. According to local authorities, this now involved mop-up operations.

Large parts of Europe have been struggling with repeated heatwaves and great dryness for weeks. Many countries have already experienced severe forest fires, for example in France and Spain. Currently, it is also practically rain-free in Germany. According to forecasts, the first rainfall is not expected until the middle of next week.