Firefighters battle expanding Black Forest blaze as containment improves elsewhere

Emergency services in Germany, Belgium, and France continue to combat persistent wildfires driven by severe heat, achieving mixed progress across affected regions.

In Baden-Württemberg, a forest fire near Schramberg expanded along steep terrain, preventing firefighters from approaching active hotspots directly. Along the German-Belgian border, conditions in the High Fens nature reserve remain tense, though officials confirmed the flames stopped advancing into German territory. Two military helicopters joined containment efforts as thick smoke forced 30 residents to evacuate in Monschau.

Fire crews brought the 300-hectare blaze in North Rhine-Westphalia's Hürtgenwald under control. In southwestern France, a pine forest fire flared up overnight after scorching 1,580 hectares and forcing 650 evacuations, though no homes were destroyed.

Sources: Der Spiegel, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau