Wildfires spread across Germany and France amid ongoing heatwave

Firefighters across Germany, Belgium, and southwestern France are battling multiple wildfires driven by high temperatures and arid terrain.

In southwestern Germany, emergency crews face difficult conditions near Schramberg in Baden-Württemberg, where a fire expanded along steep slopes that impede direct access. Along the German-Belgian border, operations continue in the High Fens nature reserve, with military helicopters assisting ground personnel after heavy smoke prompted preventive evacuations in nearby Monschau. Fire services reported progress containing a separate 300-hectare blaze in North Rhine-Westphalia's Hürtgenwald.

In southwestern France, authorities in the Landes department evacuated approximately 650 residents after a pine forest blaze scorched over 1,500 hectares before containment efforts slowed its spread.

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