The Bundeswehr has ended its helicopter deployment against the forest fire in the Eifel after aerial firefighting had taken effect and rain eased the situation in the Hürtgenwald area of Kreis Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia. The last firefighting flights took place on the evening of 15 August, with two NH90 helicopters from Transporthubschrauberregiment 10 in Faßberg and two CH-53 helicopters from Hubschraubergeschwader 64 in Holzdorf involved in the operation.
During the mission, the helicopters dropped about 457,000 litres of water in 150 sorties. The armed forces had been called in after civilian crews could no longer contain the spread of the fire on their own. Ground operations continued after the helicopter flights ended, so the withdrawal covered only the air component of the response.
The fire in the Eifel remained under active response management in the Hürtgenwald area, where aerial support had formed part of a broader firefighting effort alongside local emergency services. The end of the helicopter deployment followed a rapid improvement in conditions, reducing the immediate need for further water drops.