Smoke from Belgian peatland fire reaches Cologne and Wuppertal

Fires in the Hohes Venn nature reserve on the Belgian–German border were still not fully contained on 18 August 2026, and the smell of smoke has travelled more than 100 kilometres into Germany, reaching the cities of Cologne and Wuppertal.

About 170 emergency and firefighting personnel are engaged on the ground near the town of Monschau, where residents were advised to remain indoors. Flames remain at a distance of more than two kilometres from the border. "At the moment the situation is under control," said Tobias Schell, a spokesman for the Monschau fire service.

Crews working in shifts as rain brings some relief

The operation is being run in three shifts, and authorities say the extinguishing effort will probably continue for several days. Heavy rain that fell in the morning has aided the response and is expected to persist over the next days, slowing the fire's spread.

Firefighters warned that a change in wind strength or direction could rekindle active fronts. As a precaution, water reservoirs for firefighting have been positioned in locations that would be most at risk if conditions worsen.

Officials explained that the intense odor comes from underground smouldering in the peat soil, which generates large amounts of smoke. "The soil actually represents a vast smouldering area," Schell said, noting that steam from recent rain also heightened visible smoke.

Cologne's fire service declared "a widespread odor situation" across the metropolitan area but said there was no immediate danger to the population. In Wuppertal, firefighters warned at midday that "At the moment the smell of fire is noticeable across the entire urban area. A risk to health cannot be ruled out." Local authorities in parts of Oberbergisch issued similar warnings, and some reports of unpleasant smoke smells also came from Düsseldorf.

Photo: press material from the event