August 14, 2026:
In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, a forest fire has spread over an area of about 300 hectares. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated. Firefighting efforts are complicated by World War II-era munitions.
About 300 rescuers are involved in putting out the fire, including Bundeswehr soldiers, as well as a variety of equipment, including firefighting helicopters, police water cannons, and armored military vehicles. In addition, overnight firefighters created firebreaks in the forest—special clearings—to slow the spread of the flames, the authorities in the Düren district reported. Firefighting is made more difficult by the fact that World War II munitions are still located in the area affected by the fire. At night, explosions were heard repeatedly from the direction of the fire. In Gürtenwald, heavy fighting took place in 1944 and 1945 between German and American soldiers. "There are still quite a lot of remnants of munitions on the ground," said the head of the district.
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In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, a forest fire has spread over an area of about 300 hectares. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated. Firefighting efforts are complicated by World War II-era munitions.
About 300 rescuers are involved in putting out the fire, including Bundeswehr soldiers, as well as a variety of equipment, including firefighting helicopters, police water cannons, and armored military vehicles. In addition, overnight firefighters created firebreaks in the forest—special clearings—to slow the spread of the flames, the authorities in the Düren district reported. Firefighting is made more difficult by the fact that World War II munitions are still located in the area affected by the fire. At night, explosions were heard repeatedly from the direction of the fire. In Gürtenwald, heavy fighting took place in 1944 and 1945 between German and American soldiers. "There are still quite a lot of remnants of munitions on the ground," said the head of the district.
$FOREST