Wire flash
PoliticsGerman Chancellor Merz Visits Hürtgenwald Wildfire Area, Faces Boos
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ended his summer vacation by visiting the forest fire area in Hürtgenwald, North Rhine-Westphalia, on August 22, 2026, about a week after a severe wildfire. He thanked firefighters, Bundeswehr, THW, and agricultural workers, stating the fire 'would not have ended so mildly' without their cooperation. His speech was met with whistles and boos from some onlookers, and a woman held a sign reading 'Are you only coming now? Too late!' Merz responded that he would not be impressed 'by those who shout around.' District administrator Ralf Nolten defended Merz, saying he had asked the Chancellor to come after the fire, and criticized protesters, urging them to join emergency services instead. Merz announced that the government would discuss improving disaster preparedness at a cabinet retreat, acknowledging that climate change will increase major damage events. The fire forced the evacuation of about 1,800 people and was fully extinguished on Friday.
Source report
Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanks emergency services in Hürtgenwald. Source: ROBERTO PFEIL/AFP
Friedrich Merz has ended his summer vacation—and his first public appearance took him to the forest fire area of Hürtgenwald. There, he thanked the emergency services. But not everyone welcomed him kindly.
About a week after the severe forest fire near Hürtgenwald, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) visited the municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday afternoon and thanked the emergency services. Without the cooperation of the fire department, Bundeswehr, Technical Relief Agency (THW), agriculture, and forestry, the forest fire "would not have ended so mildly," Merz said. He came to "very sincerely" thank all the helpers.
The Chancellor's brief speech was accompanied by a chorus of whistles. In response, Merz said he would not be impressed "by those who shout around." "I speak with those who help."
A woman holds a sign reading "Are you only coming now? Too late!" during the Chancellor's visit to Hürtgenwald-Gey. Source: Christoph Reichwein/dpa
The district administrator of Düren, Ralf Nolten, emphasized that he had asked the Chancellor not to come during the fire, but afterwards. He quoted a firefighter: "I don't need politicians, I need people who hold the fire hose." The people "who shout and whistle here" should better join the THW, the fire department, or the Red Cross, Nolten continued. The district administrator received long applause for this—also from the Chancellor.
Government to Review Disaster Preparedness
Merz announced that the government would discuss during the cabinet retreat on Tuesday and Wednesday in Neuhardenberg how Germany could be "even better" prepared for major damage events like the severe forest fire. "We will evaluate what went well, but we will also evaluate what is still missing." Communication connections, for example, are not as good as they should be.
"We Also Have to Live with Climate Change," Says Merz
Because Germany must—that is the "regrettable finding"—expect that the number of major damage events will increase, Merz emphasized: "That is climate change." The government will "do everything to curb climate change. But we also have to live with climate change." Being prepared for that is a task for the federal government, the states, and the municipalities.
The forest fire broke out just over a week ago and kept the fire department on edge for days. A district of the municipality located in the Düren district had to be temporarily evacuated for safety reasons, affecting around 1,800 people. The extinguishing work was only completed on Friday.
AFP/jho
Source
Nachrichten - WELTWestern
Part of this Story
German Chancellor Merz Booed During Hürtgenwald Forest Fire Visit