By admin 
DUSSELDORF, Germany – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked emergency crews who subdued a raging wildfire in western Germany on Saturday and defended his decision not to visit earlier.
Read more Flood advisory active for Georgetown County Saturday evening triggered by heavy rain
Merz was criticized by opposition lawmakers and protesters stood at the site as he visited in person two days after the blaze was fully extinguished, in his first public appearance since his summer break.
“Without the cooperation between all those involved, things would not have turned out so well,” Merz said, referring to the many emergency service personnel – including volunteers – from the fire service, the Federal Agency or Technical Relief (THW) and the German armed forces, as well as workers from the agricultural and forestry sectors.
He was in Hürtgen Forest in the Eifel region paying tribute to the efforts of emergency crews who battled what the state government described as the largest forest fire in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state.
They extinguished the blaze on Thursday, a week after it broke out.
Without well-run voluntary organizations such as the Volunteer Fire Service or the THW, it would not be possible to tackle such major disasters effectively, Merz said. “Without the countless people – the millions of people in Germany who are involved in voluntary work – we would not be able to maintain our communities.”
At times, around 1,400 people were involved in fighting the fire during the large-scale operation. The visit to North Rhine-Westphalia was the chancellor’s first public engagement following his summer holiday.
Merz spoke of climate change. “We must expect such events to occur more frequently. That is climate change,” he said.
“And I want to say to all those who deny climate change: Take a close look at what has happened here.” Everything will be done to combat climate change, but Germans “must also learn to live with it,” Merz said, adding that it was the duty of government, states and local authorities to be prepared for this.
Critics slam Merz for late visit
Some two dozen protesters attended Merz’s visit, with some holding posters saying, “The forest is on fire and Friedrich is asleep” and “Are you only coming now? Too late.” Some shouted and whistled as he spoke.
Merz said he spoke several times with District Administrator Ralf Nolten last weekend and offered to come, but that Nolten told him to come afterwards.”
Nolten said Merz asked him to assess the situation and he said to Merz: “If you drive into the fire zone, we won’t be able to put out the fire for two or three hours.”
A local fire brigade worker said, rightly, according to Nolten: “I don’t need politicians; I need people who can hold the fire hose.”
Read more Mountain lions stall plan to build 400 residences on LA golf course
In response to booing at Merz, Nolten said: “Why not channel that negative energy into something positive? Join the THW, the fire service or the German Red Cross, then we’ll all benefit. The emergency services here have done their job, and they’re delighted by the chancellor’s visit.”
Merz had previously thanked emergency workers on X for their “tireless” efforts, which he said had often pushed them to the point of exhaustion.
His last public appearance was on July 29. Since then, the chancellor has largely communicated through written statements or government spokespeople.
Flames came close to residential properties
The fire broke out in the Hürtgen Forest last Thursday for reasons that remain unclear, with a possible cause being human error. The flames came within 250 meters (820 feet) of residential properties, and some 1,800 residents of the Gey district were evacuated before being permitted to return to their homes two days later.
The fire devastated an area of between 300 and 400 hectares (741 and 988 acres) of forest, according to the North Rhine-Westphalia State Forestry and Timber Agency.
To stop the fire from spreading, the fire service had set up backfires. Bundeswehr armored recovery vehicles cut swathes up to 15 meters (49 feet) wide through the forest. Up to 11 firefighting helicopters from several federal states were in the air at the same time.
Their efforts were hampered by munitions from World War II on the site. The forest was the scene of heavy fighting between German and U.S. troops in 1944 and 1945.
Several lawmakers from the North Rhine-Westphalian state government have already visited the affected area, and last week, the state premier, Hendrik Wüst, returned early from his holidays to do so.
Merz plans to review situation
Merz said he would review the operational situation and how to better prepare in future. “We will assess what went well here, but we will also assess what is still lacking,” he said, noting communication links were as good as they needed to be.
Merz is set to face further discussion on issues of climate change and protection during the hot weather on a Cabinet retreat, following a series of heatwaves and drought.
But the governing parties may disagree on these questions as the Social Democrats seek an amendment to the Basic Law to better protect people in the heat and from other impacts of climate change. Merz’s Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, are against such a step.
Read more GOP lawmaker urges Trump to restore South Korea military drills
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.