With Westerly Winds, There Could Also Be a Tendency for the Fire to Spread Eastward

About 30 residents in 17 homes have been evacuated from several streets in the Eifel town of Monschau, Germany, due to a large wildfire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve, according to the municipal administration. The precautionary step was taken to protect the population from the approaching flames. "If the wind turns, we will definitely have heavy smoke pollution, said Deputy Mayor Franz-Karl Boden.

With westerly winds, there could also be a tendency for the fire to spread eastward. "The fire department is positioned accordingly, Boden explained, adding that crews could react if the flames came closer. The immediate evacuation of two street sections late Sunday evening was "better now than in the middle of the night, Boden said.

An emergency shelter for those affected was set up at a school in Simmerath. "We currently have no indications of further evacuations, he stressed. The fire department's efforts are being hampered by relatively strong and constantly shifting winds, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin told broadcaster RTL on Sunday evening.

Police were present in the affected streets. A dpa reporter in Monschau described one family taking a horse in a car trailer, while another family discussed with officers before driving off. Most people have found accommodation with relatives or friends, Boden said, though some were using the school shelter. The development of the fire in the Hohes Venn, which lies in eastern Belgium, is being continuously assessed by the administration of the picturesque half-timbered town, also a popular tourist destination.