Firefighters in Belgium are battling one of the most destructive wildfires in the country's history, with more than 2,700 hectares of land already ravaged, according to Le Monde.fr. The blaze, which has consumed a natural park, has forced authorities to warn residents in eastern France to keep doors and windows shut as smoke drifts across the border.
In the Landes region of southwestern France, a separate fire has stopped advancing but is not yet under control, Le Monde.fr reports. Officials said the fire "has not increased" during the afternoon, yet they stopped short of declaring it fixed, according to Libération.
The Belgian fire has burned over 1,650 hectares within a natural park alone, franceinfo reported. Smoke from the mega-fire has spread as far as Moselle-Est in France, where local authorities issued guidance for residents to remain indoors with windows closed, Le Republicain Lorrain said.
The fires come amid a severe heatwave that has gripped parts of Europe. French weather services have lifted the orange heat alert for 36 departments as of Sunday, Libération noted, suggesting a slight easing of the extreme temperatures that have fueled the blazes.
While the Landes fire has shown signs of stabilization, officials emphasize it remains dangerous. The situation in Belgium appears more severe, with the scale of destruction already ranking among the worst the country has experienced.
Authorities in both countries continue to monitor the fires closely. The coming days will be critical in determining whether cooler conditions and any potential rainfall can help firefighters gain the upper hand, or if the blazes will spread further.
