climate change
Large moor fire in the German-Belgian border area
The fire brigade commander Francis Cloth (l) shows the moor fire on a screen. photo
© Francoise Peiffer/Belga/dpa
A large bog fire has broken out near Aachen. By Tuesday morning, 170 hectares had burned down, they say.
There is a major moor fire in the German-Belgian border area near Aachen. The fire broke out on the Belgian side in the High Fens, the Aachen city region announced on Tuesday. By Tuesday morning, 170 hectares had burned down. But no one was injured. During the day, a fire-fighting helicopter and tracked vehicles were to be deployed in the area that was difficult to access.
Under the direction of the Aachen city region, around 200 German rescue workers are currently trying to prevent the fire from spreading from the grass and moorland to the so-called high forest. “Our task is to secure a firebreak in the area between the grass fire and the tree population, which consists mostly of spruce,” said district fire chief Thomas Sprank. “We benefit from a tarred path. We moisten the ground massively along this path to prevent the fire from spreading.”
The fire brigades from Aachen, Stolberg, Monschau, Simmerath, Eschweiler, Herzogenrath, Alsdorf and numerous forces from the districts of Düren and Euskirchen are involved. The Dutch fire brigade is also supporting the work. The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and the German Red Cross take care of supplying the emergency services.
The High Fens closed to hikers
The Hohe Venn is closed to hikers in the fire area and the surrounding area. All hikers and walkers are asked to avoid the area as far as possible in order not to hinder the extinguishing work and not to put themselves in danger.
The EU Commission recently pointed out that forest fires are starting earlier and earlier due to climate change. Almost 30 planes and helicopters are available for this year’s forest fire season, which the civil protection mechanism believes began on Tuesday, about twice as many as last year. The measures run under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU states and other countries are working more closely together in preparing for and responding to disasters.