Firefighters have been working to extinguish a large wildfire that swept through a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island close to Athens. The fires were fueled by hot and dry conditions affecting various parts of Europe.
In eastern Belgium, the blaze ravaged approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens, a significant nature reserve, marking one of the country’s most severe wildfires in recent memory. Around 600 residents in the neighboring communities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, located in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate as winds changed direction, spreading smoke throughout the region. Tourists were also advised to leave, with a local gymnasium serving as a shelter for evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, revealed that more than 250 emergency personnel, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, as well as police, military officers, and civil protection staff, have been mobilized to combat the flames. Additionally, firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands were deployed to assist in the efforts.
In Greece, the coast guard reported the unfortunate deaths of an elderly couple outside their home on the island of Salamina, located west of Athens, where a fire originated. Over 500 individuals were rescued from the island. The fire erupted during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend around the Aug. 15 Assumption holiday, a time when many residents of Athens visit nearby islands like Salamina, easily accessible from the capital’s main port of Piraeus. Several homes were damaged, and five individuals were taken to a health clinic.
In Belgium, the ongoing wildfire has surpassed a 2011 fire that consumed nearly 14 square kilometers in the same region, previously the country’s largest recorded wildfire. Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, noted the severe conditions this time, emphasizing the extremely dry soil as a significant challenge for containment efforts.
René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, highlighted the ongoing spread of the fire on Sunday, particularly in an area challenging for firefighting crews to access. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin commended the firefighters for preventing the fire from advancing towards the west and the German town of Monschau.
Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive support from other countries in combating the wildfires. Sweden dispatched two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters from the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were also enlisted to aid in the operations.
The wildfires across Europe come after weeks of extraordinary heat and dry weather, complicating firefighting efforts in the High Fens due to the combination of heathland and peat bogs. Belgium experienced another wave of intense heat recently, with temperatures reaching around 37 degrees Celsius in some areas on Friday.
In France, firefighters managed a wildfire in a pine forest in the Landes region, estimating the burned area at 17 square kilometers and evacuating about 650 residents. The UK faced 14 wildfires in South Wales, with military personnel supporting emergency crews. Drought conditions persist in the UK, heightening the risk of wildfires despite the easing heatwave. In Germany, progress was made against a wildfire in the Hürtgen Forest, allowing evacuated residents to return home as the fire was contained.