WWII munitions detonate in German forest fire, forcing firefighters to withdraw

A wildfire in Germany's Hürtgen forest, site of intense 1944–45 fighting, triggered detonations of buried World War II ordnance as flames advanced. Firefighters withdrew; German army tanks and helicopters secured the perimeter. Over 2,000 people fled homes near the village of Gey. The unexploded munitions rendered standard suppression tactics unusable until military assets arrived.