Smoke from forest fires near Monschau drifts across Eifel and Moselle region

At many locations a noticeable burning smell has been reported, and ash has been falling from the air in some places. Police urged residents to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution against the smoke and the fine particles it carries.

People who have been affected by the smoke were advised to try to stay with relatives and friends, the police statement said. The advice targets residents who may find the air quality in their homes uncomfortable or harmful to breathe over a longer period.

Impact across the Eifel and the Moselle

The fires are centred on the forested area around Hürtgenwald in North Rhine-Westphalia and extend across the border into the Hohes Venn, the high moorland plateau on the Belgian side. The terrain has been a recurring site of large wildfires in recent years because of its dense coniferous forests and drained peat soils, which can smoulder for days.

The town of Monschau and the nearby community of Kalterherberg lie close to the affected zone and have been mentioned repeatedly in regional reporting on the blaze. Local authorities there have been coordinating with fire services from both states and from Belgium.

Beyond the immediate fire perimeter, the drifting smoke is the most visible impact for communities further afield, including districts in the Eifel and settlements along the Moselle. Visibility has been reduced and air quality monitors have flagged elevated particulate levels in places downwind of the front.

Response and cross-border coordination

Emergency services have not reported an immediate threat to populated areas inside Germany from the flames themselves, but the smoke plume has been moving with the prevailing wind. Police asked residents to follow updates from official channels and to call the local non-emergency number if they experienced respiratory problems.

Firefighters in North Rhine-Westphalia have been reinforced in recent days as the blaze has proven difficult to contain in the wooded, hilly terrain. Cross-border cooperation with Belgian crews has been used in earlier fire seasons on the Hohes Venn.

The Trier police statement did not specify when the smoke was expected to clear. Conditions depend on wind direction and whether the underlying fires in the Hürtgenwald and Hohes Venn area are brought under control in the coming days.