Hürtgenwald Wildfire Is NRW's Largest Forest Fire on Record as Gey Stays Evacuated

A wildfire in Hürtgenwald, in the Eifel region of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), broke out on the evening of August 13, 2026, and grew into the largest documented forest fire in the state’s history. By August 15, flames had burned roughly 300 hectares of woodland, forced the precautionary evacuation of about 1,800–2,000 residents of the district of Gey, and kept roughly 1,400 firefighters and 10 helicopters deployed as crews worked to hold the blaze.

Officials said the fire had not spread further overnight into Saturday, but Gey remained off limits and authorities warned that shifting wind and dry conditions could still change the picture quickly.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from Deutsche Welle, ARD tagesschau, the Düren district administration, NRW state government statements, and German wire-service accounts through August 15, 2026. Evacuation figures and burned area may be revised as operations continue.

How the fire started and spread

The blaze was first reported on Thursday, August 13, in forest southwest of Düren, near Germany’s border with Belgium. Within hours it expanded across steep, heavily wooded terrain in the Hürtgen Forest, a area long associated with dense conifer stands and difficult access.

Key fact	Detail
Area burned	About 300 hectares (~420 football pitches), per district estimates on August 15
State record	NRW Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen and Environment Minister Oliver Krischer said it appears to be the largest wildfire in NRW’s recorded history
2025 comparison	All of NRW recorded only about 52 hectares of forest fire damage in 2025, according to state forestry statistics
Cause	Under investigation; police have appealed for public information

By early Friday, August 14, flames stood roughly 150–400 meters from Gey’s built-up area, depending on the reporting line. Smoke was visible across the district as wind direction shifted overnight.

Gey evacuation and resident support

Fire command ordered a full evacuation of Gey in the early hours of Friday morning. Authorities triggered the Nina warning app, sounded sirens, and issued a major-damage alert as the fire approached.

Evacuation detail	Detail
Population affected	About 1,800 residents officially cited; local broadcasters reported more than 2,000 people linked to the order
Timing	Evacuation completed around 8 a.m. on August 14
Shelters	A primary school and sports hall were opened for displaced residents
Return timeline	Uncertain; Düren district chief Ralf Nolten said residents would not be allowed back while safety risks remained

Mayor Stephan Cranen told German media that residents had been cooperative, given the visible glow over the forest. He said he did not expect further districts to be evacuated, though residents in nearby villages — including Vossenack, Hürtgen, Kleinhau, and Simonskall — were asked to conserve water.

Five people were reported injured by August 14: four emergency workers with minor injuries and one elderly resident who suffered heart problems during the evacuation.

Why firefighting is so difficult here

The Hürtgenwald operation combines extreme drought, rugged terrain, and a legacy of World War II munitions that makes ground access dangerous.

WWII battleground and unexploded ordnance

The forest was a major battlefield in 1944–1945 during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, where tens of thousands of soldiers died. Unexploded shells and other ordnance remain scattered across the area.

District officials said munitions had already detonated in the fire zone overnight, and ground crews heard the blasts. Because of that hazard, firefighters cannot leave established forest tracks with hand crews and backpack tanks. Much of the attack on the flames has had to come from the air.

Aerial and specialized response

By August 15, about 1,400 personnel were assigned to the incident, with shift rotations bringing roughly 500 fresh responders every 12 hours. Operational planning extended at least through the following Monday, fire officials said.

Assets deployed included:

Asset	Role
10 helicopters	Bambi-bucket water drops; federal, state, and cross-state support after Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged additional aircraft
Nearby reservoirs	Rapid refill points for helicopter buckets
“FireFighter” vehicle	NRW forestry service’s new 10,000-liter off-road unit, stationed locally since late July
Police water cannons	Perimeter protection along accessible routes
Bundeswehr armored vehicles	Cleared paths and helped cut firebreaks
Local farmers	Hauled water and assisted with protective strips

NRW’s interior ministry activated a state crisis coordination group to manage personnel and equipment across several simultaneous wildfires. Much of the state was at wildfire danger level 4 of 5 amid prolonged dry weather.

Official response and national attention

Silke Gorißen, who visited the scene on August 14, said NRW was facing a scale of fire “we have not seen in decades.” Oliver Krischer called the damage “frightening” and linked the intensity to longer-term climate stress on forests.

Landrat Nolten said the overnight picture had improved — wind eased and the fire did not enlarge — but northerly winds arriving Saturday could complicate efforts. Meteorologists noted scattered showers and thunderstorms but not enough rain to extinguish the blaze.

Merz spoke by phone with Nolten on August 15, thanking emergency workers and confirming additional federal helicopter support. NRW Premier Hendrik Wüst was scheduled to visit the fire zone on Saturday afternoon.

State forestry data underscored the broader context: through July 31, NRW had logged 86 wildfires covering 9.3 hectares; in August alone, another 36 fires had already burned about 330 hectares statewide before this incident’s full accounting.

What happens next

Authorities describe the situation as “static” — neither expanding nor fully controlled. Gey will stay evacuated until commanders judge heat, wind, and munitions risk acceptable for return.

Investigators are still working to determine how the fire started. Even if rain arrives, officials expect a multi-day operation, with aerial drops remaining central because of the ordnance-laced forest floor.

For NRW — Germany’s most populous state — the Hürtgenwald blaze has become a benchmark event: a single fire exceeding an entire previous year’s burned area, unfolding in a landscape where modern disaster response still collides with an 80-year-old battlefield.

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Discussion

The Hürtgenwald fire sits at the intersection of climate stress, wartime legacy, and a rural community waiting to go home.

1. Should residents be allowed back before the fire is fully extinguished if the front line has stopped advancing?

Officials kept Gey empty even after a calmer night. Where should the line fall between precaution and prolonged displacement?

2. How should Germany balance forest access and fire suppression in areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance?

Ground crews cannot safely enter much of this forest. Does that make aerial-only firefighting an acceptable long-term plan for similar regions?

If you live in a wildfire-prone area — or have been evacuated before — what mattered most in the first 24 hours: official alerts, shelter information, or knowing when you could return?

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