Firefighters battle persistent wildfires across Germany and France

Emergency crews across Western Europe continue to combat several wildfires fueled by dry terrain and elevated temperatures. In Germany, a blaze on steep slopes near Schramberg in the Black Forest expanded, with difficult terrain hindering ground teams from approaching active hotspots directly.

Along the German-Belgian border, cross-border operations remain underway in the High Fens nature reserve. Supported by military helicopters, responders prevented the fire from advancing further into Germany after dense smoke triggered precautionary evacuations in Monschau. Concurrently, emergency services in North Rhine-Westphalia reported significant containment of a 300-hectare forest fire in the Hürtgenwald.

In southwestern France, a fire in the Landes department burned approximately 1,580 hectares of pine forest. Although a nighttime flare-up forced the evacuation of roughly 650 residents, local officials confirmed no residential properties were damaged.

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