Heat live blog:
Fire brigade fights forest fire near Schramberg in Baden-Württemberg
Aug 17, 2026, 11:33am Reading time: 1 min.
There is a fire on a steep slope near Schramberg in the Rottweil district.dpa
Fire in the High Fens does not advance further into Germany +++ Eifel: Forest fire in the Hürtgen Forest is under control +++ all developments in the live blog
In our live blog we will inform you about all developments relating to extreme weather in Germany and the world and the consequences.
Fire in the High Fens does not advance any further towards Germany
The fire in the High Fens nature reserve in Belgium has not spread further towards Germany. Rain and a lack of wind are currently having a positive effect. Monschau operations manager Philipp Krüger said in the morning that the night had been very quiet. They were able to “defuse the situation somewhat”.
The 30 people from Monschau-Kalterherberg near the border who were evacuated on Sunday evening because of the threat of smoke pollution cannot currently return to their homes, said Ziegler. No further evacuations are currently planned: “The next line for further evacuation is still far, far away,” he clarified.
On the German side, 200 to 250 emergency services are currently involved in fighting the fire, said Krüger. It may be possible to dismantle it during the day.
Baden-Württemberg: Forest fire near Schramberg is spreading
The fire brigade continues to fight a major forest fire on a steep slope near Schramberg in the Rottweil district. According to the fire department, it is currently not possible to predict when the operation will be ended and the fire will be completely extinguished. The flames on the slope were being fought from three sides. This has so far prevented the fire from spreading, particularly towards an adjacent residential area.
The particularly difficult terrain makes extinguishing work considerably more difficult. Emergency services cannot approach the sources of the fire everywhere because the slopes are too steep and difficult to access, as the fire department announced. According to their information, there are two larger burns and numerous embers on the flanks.
The safety of firefighters has priority. Around 330 firefighters were on duty that night; they have since been relieved. Around 80 vehicles, including special tank fire engines, are supporting the firefighting work. They can be used to reach fire spots in difficult terrain and contain the flames from several sides.
After only a small vegetation fire, the fire had spread significantly since Sunday evening. While around two hectares of forest initially burned, according to the police, around ten to twelve hectares have now been affected - an area the size of around 14 football fields.
Green party leader calls for measures and more coordination against forest fires
Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge is calling for better support for the fire brigade in view of the severe forest fires. “Basically, it’s about providing the fire brigade’s work with the best possible financial and human resources,” said the politician on Deutschlandfunk this morning. This includes good technology such as drones for fire detection.
Stronger coordination is also needed: “We are proposing a national fire management strategy that includes risk analysis, prevention and then also operational preparation,” said Dröge. In addition, the forests would have to be converted so that there are more mixed forests. Rewetting of moors is also necessary. A large number of fires are man-made, which is why better fire detection is needed.
“It is catastrophic and to some extent unbelievable that we as a society cannot finally find the determination to do more to ensure that this does not happen more and more often in the future,” said the Green politician. "And that means fighting the climate crisis. I don't understand why there isn't more determination."
NRW Agriculture Minister sees a need for improvement in protection against forest fires
According to NRW Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen, the forest fires in Germany and Belgium show that more measures will be needed in the future to prevent damage of such magnitude. Numerous steps have already been taken, but we always have to ask where we can improve, said the CDU politician on WDR. “You’re never finished.”
There has been a fire in the High Fens nature reserve in Belgium, right on the border with Germany, for days. Around 30 residents of the Eifel town of Monschau in North Rhine-Westphalia, near the border, were evacuated from the Kalterherberg district on Sunday evening because of possible heavy smoke pollution. The fire in Hürtgenwald, 20 kilometers away, is now under control after several day and night operations.
Gorißen said: “We are dealing with sustainable forest conversion in order to actually have more trees in the forest that do not catch fire so quickly and that are also better adapted to the climate.” As soon as the current major fires have been extinguished and some calm has returned, we will have to check what can be improved preventively, she emphasized on WDR.
Saxony-Anhalt: Forest fire in the Harz has been extinguished
The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon between Benneckenstein and Trautenstein in the Upper Harz. The fire has now been extinguished. According to the police, around 900 square meters of forest initially caught fire. The fire eventually spread to an area of around five hectares. The police estimated the damage caused at around 300,000 euros.
At its peak, more than 250 firefighters with 56 vehicles were deployed. A firefighting aircraft was also used to fight the fire. According to the fire department, people or buildings were not at risk.
Greece: Forest fire on Salamis island is under control
The Greek fire brigade has brought a forest fire under control on the island of Salamis, near the capital Athens. The situation has improved and there is no longer an “active fire front,” a spokesman for the fire department told the AFP news agency on Monday. However, there are still more than 200 firefighters and two firefighting helicopters on duty on the island.
Two forest fires broke out almost simultaneously near popular beaches in the south and east of Salamis on Sunday. Hundreds of people were brought to safety by boat. Many Athenians spend their weekends or holidays on the island.
Greek civil defense quickly ordered evacuations after the fires broke out. Due to strong winds, the fires spread within minutes. An elderly couple trapped by flames near their home were later found dead near a beach. Three injured people were still being treated in hospital on Monday.
Forest fire in the Hürtgen Forest in the Eifel is still under control
In the Hürtgenwald in the Eifel, where the largest forest fire in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia broke out at the end of last week, the signs continue to point to relaxation. “The situation in the Hürtgenwald is still under control,” said a spokeswoman for the Düren district. “But there are still numerous embers.” These are now the focus of firefighting. There are no more open flames. But one cannot yet speak of an end to the situation.
Around 400 emergency services were deployed in the Hürtgen Forest that night. During the day there would probably be twice as many again. Unfortunately, the rain was just “a drop in the ocean,” said the spokeswoman. “But we’ll take whatever we can get.”
SPD is putting pressure on better heat protection in the Basic Law
The SPD is putting pressure on the black-red coalition for better precautions to protect against heat, low water and other consequences of climate change. Effective adaptation to the climate crisis requires “a national effort that sets priorities, pools resources, intensifies coordination and enables rapid action,” says a paper from SPD-led federal ministries. An amendment to the Basic Law should also be initiated during this electoral period.
This is intended to promote the introduction of a new “joint task of climate adaptation and nature conservation”, according to the preparatory paper for the cabinet meeting at the end of August, which is available to the German Press Agency. The “Spiegel” first reported about it. This is a prerequisite for the federal government to participate in the financing of local and state tasks and to be able to participate in climate adaptation and nature conservation in a long-term, legally secure and comprehensive manner.
This applies, for example, to heat and health protection in social institutions, the unsealing of areas, more urban greenery, climate-resilient water and wastewater disposal and better promotion of flood protection. Until a joint task is established, an immediate program should improve the promotion of climate adaptation and heat protection, according to the SPD paper - including for nursing homes, daycare centers and hospitals.
Forest fire in the High Fens: situation stable
The fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve is currently no longer advancing towards the German border. Light rain, no wind and high humidity played into the hands of the emergency services. “This is good for us,” said a fire department spokesman in the operations control center in Kalterherberg, a district of Monschau.
The fire had advanced within 300 meters of the German border. There were also fears at times that the wind would pick up, turn unfavorably and drive the flames towards Germany. The houses in the villages of Ruitzhof and Geisberg with around 30 residents were evacuated on Sunday evening around 10 p.m.
The fire fighters hope to be able to save the houses: “Between the fire and the houses there are meadows that we have completely soaked with water in the last few hours.”
Three dead in forest fires on the Greek island of Salamis and in Spain
Forest fires in Greece and Spain killed three people over the weekend. On the Greek island of Salamis near Athens, two bodies were recovered near the beach, a fire department spokesman said on Sunday. Hundreds of people were brought to safety. A soldier died while fighting a forest fire in the northeastern Spanish region of Aragon.
On Salamis, two forest fires broke out almost simultaneously near popular bathing spots in the south and east of the island. By evening, more than 570 people had been evacuated using coast guard patrol ships and other boats, a coast guard spokeswoman said. However, help came too late for two people, reportedly an elderly couple, said fire department communications chief Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, referring to the fatalities.
The Greek Ministry of Civil Protection had issued a total of four evacuation orders for Salamis in quick succession because fires had broken out “almost simultaneously” on the popular beaches of Peristeria in the south and Selinia in the east of the island, as authority spokesman Giannis Artopios told the television station ERT. “It is a difficult fire [...] in an inhabited area,” he added.
Due to strong winds, the fires spread within minutes. Greek television channels showed images of completely burned-out houses. According to the Greek news agency ANA, nine people were treated for burns.
Around 200 firefighters as well as six firefighting planes and seven helicopters were deployed against the fires raging in inhabited areas. According to Salamis' deputy mayor Thodoris Zannis, the fire department was able to prevent the two fires from eating their way up a mountainside and combining into one large fire front. The fire in Selinia was brought under control in the evening, said a fire department spokesman. There were still individual sources of fire in Peristeria.
The approximately 37,000 residents of Salamis include many elderly people and, according to authorities, the beaches affected by the fires were full of people on Sunday. Many Athenians spend their weekends or holidays on the island. Meanwhile, on Sunday, firefighters brought a forest fire largely under control on the Greek Aegean island of Skiros. A total of 34 fires broke out in Greece within 24 hours, according to the fire department.
Due to repeated heat waves and drought, there have been repeated severe forest fires in the Mediterranean region in recent weeks. A fire broke out in the northeastern Spanish region of Aragon a few days ago. A soldier involved in the fire-fighting operation was killed, as regional president Jorge Azcón announced on Sunday in the online service X. According to local media, his vehicle overturned.
Hundreds of emergency services were involved in the extinguishing work in the Pyrenees town of Las Peñas de Riglos. The forest fire that had been raging in Aragon for days threatened a medieval monastery. The remains of the first kings of the medieval Kingdom of Aragon were brought to safety from there on Thursday. Artworks and a chalice were also recovered as flames raged on the surrounding hills. In addition, hundreds of people from surrounding towns had to leave their homes. In the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, hundreds of people who had previously been evacuated were able to return to their homes. A forest fire there had devastated more than 25,000 hectares of vegetation within ten days; the fire was only brought under control on Sunday.
The situation in France calmed down on Sunday, both in the Ardennes on the border with Belgium and in the southwest of the country. The flames there were almost a hundred kilometers long.
