Germany evacuates about 1,800 as wildfire reaches border village
Authorities in Germany ordered about 1,800 people to evacuate their homes in the early hours on Friday after a wildfire in the western region spread towards a village close to the border with Belgium.
Residents should leave the village of Gey immediately and go to an assistance centre set up at a primary school in the nearby village of Strass, municipal officials said in a statement at 4am. They were urged to carry only essential belongings, identification documents and necessary medicines.
#Europe #wildfires – #Germany A wildfire in the DĂźren district of North Rhine-Westphalia is threatening residential areas. Authorities ordered the evacuation of #Gey..At least 200 emergency personnel are deployed.đ¸ Jan Ohmen / Benedikt Herfs pic.twitter.com/WDmNWc89ap— MIBAWI (@RealMiBaWi) August 14, 2026
On Thursday authorities said a major emergency response was triggered by a wildfire affecting about 25ha of nearby woodland. Firefighters and emergency services battled to restrain the flames and the road through the area was closed.
Large swathes of Germany are tackling dry conditions and high risks of forest fires, weather officials said.
The wider European continent, the worldâs fastest-warming, has been fighting an unusually active wildfire season as a wetter winter âfed growth âin â vegetation that dried out during rolling heatwaves.