Overview
- The blaze in the Hohes Venn has burned roughly 2,700–3,000 hectares and grew rapidly over the weekend, prompting a Sunday night evacuation of 17 houses in Monschau‑Kalterherberg.
- Peat‑rich moorland and constantly shifting winds have made direct access hard and allowed underground smouldering that firefighting crews say will take days to weeks to fully extinguish.
- Belgium requested help and German regional units moved into nearby Belgian border areas, and the Bundeswehr deployed two NH‑90 helicopters with Bambi Buckets for an initial seven‑day water‑drop mission.
- Firefighters worked overnight to protect evacuated homes by wetting intervening meadows and moving water from the Perlenbach reservoir while most evacuees sheltered with relatives or in a school refuge.
- Liège prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the fire's origin and officials warn the unusually active summer fire season could strain regional resources and prolong suppression efforts.