HUERTGENWALD, Germany — More than 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in western Germany on Friday as a wildfire approached the village of Gey near the Belgian border, with unexploded World War Two munitions complicating efforts to contain the blaze, local authorities said.
Residents of Gey were ordered to leave at about 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) and were directed to an assistance centre at a primary school in a nearby village, authorities said. They were told to take essential belongings, identification documents and necessary medicines.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was being kept informed of the situation and that federal police and the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, were providing assistance where possible.
Stephan Cranen, mayor of the Hürtgenwald municipality, said the situation remained critical, with flames about 300 metres (1,000 feet) from Gey, regional broadcaster WDR reported.
The fire had spread overnight toward a former munitions depot in nearby Dueren, Cranen said. Parts of the surrounding forest still contain unexploded wartime ordnance because the area's hilly terrain prevented complete clearance, firefighters said. Occasional detonations were heard during the wildfire, adding to the hazards faced by emergency crews.
About 300 hectares (740 acres) were burning, while two German army tanks were helping firefighters create access routes through difficult forest terrain, according to local authorities.
A local official told Reuters that numerous smaller fires were still burning and that hot embers remained, indicating that the operation was continuing. The official said the fire was far from being brought under control.
Germany has long faced risks from unexploded ordnance left from the two World Wars, particularly in former military areas and parts of forests. Federal parliamentary research has said unexploded bombs and other explosive remnants remain in German soil and water, while responsibility for clearance is largely handled by the states and local authorities.
The combination of wildfire and unexploded munitions has also affected firefighting operations elsewhere in Germany this summer. In Brandenburg, police said in May that a forest fire on contaminated land was likely caused by the spontaneous ignition of ammunition remnants. A July wildfire at the former Jüterbog military training area also occurred on land contaminated with munitions.
As of Friday, authorities had evacuated Gey and continued firefighting operations around the affected forest, while federal forces supported local responders.
