Brussels – Paris: Europe and the Arabs

Several European countries have experienced a sharp rise in temperatures and wildfires in border forests, prompting authorities to send warnings to citizens via their phones about the extreme heat. Belgian media outlets have been closely following the developments. The newspaper Nieuwsblad reported under the headline:

Forest fire in the French province of Landes spreads to cover 1,100 hectares.

The forest fire that broke out on Thursday in the French province of Landes, in the southwest of the country, spread overnight, consuming approximately 1,100 hectares. Provincial authorities reported on Friday morning that, aside from some damage to machinery, no material losses had been recorded so far.

According to Colonel Arnaud Fabre, head of the local emergency services, the fire is currently slowing down thanks to lower nighttime temperatures and higher humidity. However, temperatures are expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius again on Friday afternoon. He stressed that the next fifteen hours will be crucial. It is worth noting that massive wildfires broke out in southwestern France at the end of July, consuming some 42,000 hectares in the Gironde, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne departments and forcing the evacuation of 220,000 people. The fire department managed to bring the blaze under control after ten days.

A forest fire near the Belgian border forces the evacuation of more than 1,800 Germans: "Extreme danger." German authorities ordered the evacuation of a village in the west of the country on Friday, not far from the Belgian border. A forest fire is threatening the village of Gay, part of the municipality of Hürtgenwald in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, putting around 1,800 residents at risk.

The municipal administration instructed affected residents to evacuate immediately, and the German emergency aid app NINA issued its highest level of alert, "Extreme danger," as the fire continued to advance toward the village center. The fire is now only 400 meters from Gay.

Residents of the Eiffel municipality were asked to take only essentials, identification documents, and medication. Residents are also advised to cover their mouths and noses with a cloth or clothing, or a mask if necessary. A reception center has been set up at a primary school in the neighboring village of Strasse.

During Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the flames were still more than 500 meters from the residential area, but a change in wind direction allowed the fire to spread more rapidly. Shortly before 4:00 a.m., the fire department decided to begin an evacuation. The village of Grosshaus is also at risk, although no evacuation order has yet been issued there.

In total, approximately 25 hectares of forest near Hortgenwald have burned since Thursday afternoon, an area roughly the size of 35 football fields.

Also in neighboring France, around 500 people were evacuated from the village of Le Glos on Thursday, August 13, as a fast-moving forest fire swept through a drought-stricken pine forest in the Landes region. The fire broke out shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, fueled by strong and shifting winds, and came within a few hundred meters of homes in the town of Luglon. By Friday morning, the Landes prefecture reported that more than 1,100 hectares had been burned. No homes were damaged, but residents and a nearby campsite were evacuated as a precaution and taken to a reception center in Sabres. Two regional roads surrounding Luglon were closed to traffic.

Around 500 firefighters, supported by 40 fire engines, Canadair and Dash water-dropping aircraft, and Air Tractors, were battling the blaze. High humidity overnight helped slow the fire's advance, but authorities warned that strong winds could quickly worsen the situation. The fire broke out amid a severe heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the Landes region. This blaze adds to the numerous large fires that have plagued southwestern France this summer, including one near Biscarrosse that consumed approximately 3,700 hectares and destroyed around 200 homes and buildings.

Earlier on Wednesday, Greek authorities deployed 4,850 firefighters and 33 aircraft across the country to combat the escalating wildfires.

Local residents joined the efforts to fight the forest fires raging near Patras, Greece's third-largest city, as the intense heatwave exacerbated the flames. These fires have prompted thousands of people in southern Europe to evacuate their homes as a precaution.