Overview
- Belgian authorities said Thursday that the Hohes Venn peat fire is fully under control after seven days, with about 3,000 hectares burned and firefighting duties handed from withdrawing German units to Belgian crews.
- The Hürtgenwald blaze in North Rhine‑Westphalia was declared extinguished by local officials after burning roughly 300 hectares, evacuations were lifted, and most operational units began withdrawing while the forest remains closed.
- International aerial support played a major role in suppression with German, Norwegian and Swedish helicopters and aircraft plus a Belgian federal police helicopter conducting water drops and surveillance.
- Crews will continue close monitoring because peat can burn underground for weeks or months, many burned trees are unstable, and unexploded World War II munitions in the Hürtgenwald restrict ground access and complicate clearance.
- Investigations into the causes have begun and officials are urging stronger national resilience planning as scientists link this season’s extreme fires to heat and drought that raise future wildfire risk.