Cooler weather and scattered showers in parts of Germany on Monday came as sudden relief to high temperatures and dry weather that scorched much of the country over the weekend.
But firefighters were still hard at work trying to contain wildfires near Monschau, close to the border with Belgium, and also near Schramberg in Baden-Württemberg. Smaller fires were reported in many places across Germany over the weekend.
Fire near Monschau reportedly stable
As of around 7am on Monday morning a large blaze in Belgium, near to the German village of Monschau, was stabilised, according to a spokesman for the fire department.
The fire, located in the High Fens nature reserve, forced the evacuation of some residents of Monschau as it approached the German village. An intensive operation carried on through the night to hold the fire there.
The fire is said to no longer be advancing on the German border.
Light rain, a lack of wind and high humidity all played into the hands of the emergency services.
"This is good for us," said a fire department spokesman in Kalterherberg, according to a report by Welt.
Schramberg fire proves difficult to extinguish
Further south in Baden-Württemberg, another wildfire near Schramberg has proven more difficult to control.
As of Monday morning, Stuttgarter Zeitung reported that fire had spread significantly through Sunday night.
According to the fire department, more than ten hectares of forest burned and the edges of the fire continued to move in the direction of Tennenbronn and Schramberg in the early morning.
The steep and difficult-to-access terrain made the fire a difficult one to get to and contain.
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Fires across the country
In Westerwald in Rhineland-Palatinate flames had come dangerously close to residential buildings on Sunday. Around 20 families then had to leave their homes. The evacuation has since been lifted and the fire is considered under control - but it has not yet been extinguished.
In Duisburg a large pile of scrap metal at a recycling centre burned, sending up a large plume of smoke which affected some nearby residences. It was extinguished on Sunday morning.
A number of fires were reported over the weekend, including in:
- Waldaschaff in Franconia where 29 hectares burned and around 80 people were evacuated
- Also in Franconia there were fires in Rechtenbach, Höchheim and Oberhaid in the district of Bamberg
- Langscheid in Rhineland-Palatinate, west of Koblenz
- the Saarland district of Neunkirchen, where horses were evacuated
- Plauen, Saxony where a days-long fire was finally contained on Sunday
- The district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia
You can see an interactive map of the active fires in Germany, as published by Stuttgarter Zeitung, here.
Rain and mild weather brings relief
Over a large part of central Germany, from south of the Danube and from the eastern Ore Mountains to southeastern Brandenburg, weather was expected to be cloudy with heavy showers and thunderstorms on Monday. Elsewhere, a mix of some sunshine and dense cloud cover was expected with showers or light rain in some areas.
Across the country, the high temperatures seen at the end of last week and over the weekend have subsided, with highs of 19 to 27C. The warmest weather remains in the southwest.
Tuesday will bring showers and heavier rain to parts of Germany. The northeast, as well as the region from Ortenau to Lake Constance in the south, will see more sunshine and mostly dry conditions.
High temperatures between 19 and 25C, reaching up to 28C in the far southwest are predicted.
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