The orange heat warning is issued in particular when the thermometer indicates for three consecutive days a maximum temperature of 32°C or more. It is therefore advisable for everyone to drink regularly, to dress lightly, to divide their food portions, to favor cool places and to close doors and windows to avoid the outside heat.
“Take care of the animals by giving them water and avoiding leaving them in the sun“, continues the MRI.
Beware of fire starts
The heat and drought also favor the outbreak of fires in nature. It is therefore advisable to be particularly careful.
From Monday, it will also be forbidden to smoke and make fires in all Flemish forests and nature reserves, the authorities in the north of the country have decided.
In Wallonia, the Department of Nature and Forests (DNF) is continuing its awareness-raising, prevention and surveillance actions and certain provinces, such as Liège, have issued an order banning open-air fires in order to limit the risks.
The orange code may be reviewed depending on the evolution of the situation, concludes the IRM.
In Belgium and Europe, the month of July and its high temperatures were conducive to the outbreak of fires, sometimes causing large-scale fires. The multiplication of heat waves is a direct consequence of the climate crisis according to scientists, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing in intensity, duration and frequency.