Firefighters engaged in a fierce battle against a large wildfire that ravaged a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island near Athens, resulting in two fatalities on Sunday due to hot and dry weather conditions that have ignited fires across various parts of Europe.
The wildfire in eastern Belgium ravaged approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens, a significant nature reserve, marking one of the most severe wildfires in Belgium’s recent history. Around 600 residents in the adjacent municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, located in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate on Saturday as winds shifted and smoke encroached on the area. Tourists were also advised to leave, and a nearby gymnasium was set up to accommodate evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, mentioned in a statement on Sunday that more than 250 emergency responders, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, police, military personnel, and civil protection teams, have been mobilized. Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands also provided assistance.
In Greece, the coast guard reported that an elderly couple lost their lives outside their home on the island of Salamina, west of Athens, close to where the fire originated. Over 500 individuals were rescued from the island. The blaze erupted during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend around the Aug. 15 Assumption holiday, attracting many Athenians to nearby islands like Salamina, easily accessible from the capital’s main port of Piraeus. Several houses were damaged, and five individuals were taken to a health clinic as per local reports.
Approximately 192 firefighters, 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteer crews, and municipal water tankers were deployed to combat the blazes. Coast guard and firefighting vessels were dispatched to the island, with preparations made for potential sea evacuations from threatened coastal regions. Salamina was under a high wildfire risk warning on Sunday, with the cause of the fires remaining unknown.
The ongoing wildfire in Belgium has significantly surpassed a 2011 fire that consumed nearly 14 square kilometers in the same area, previously holding the record as the country’s largest wildfire. Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, noted that conditions were much harsher this time due to extremely dry soil.
René Dahmen, the chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, reported that the fire continued to spread on Sunday in an area challenging for crews to access. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin highlighted on social media that efforts were successful in preventing the fire from spreading towards the west and the German town of Monschau. Local authorities in Germany cautioned that the fire was approximately 1.5 kilometers from the border.
Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive aid from other countries. Sweden dispatched two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters – two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic – were also deployed. The fires come after a period of unusually hot and dry weather, complicating containment efforts in the High Fens’ heathland and peat bogs.
In France, firefighters managed a wildfire in a pine forest in the southwestern Landes region, with no major flare-ups reported overnight. Authorities estimated the total area burned at 17 square kilometers, leading to the evacuation of around 650 individuals from their homes. It marked the third major wildfire in the vast pine forests of southwestern France this summer.
Emergency crews in the United Kingdom were combatting 14 wildfires in South Wales with military support. Despite the easing heat wave, authorities warned of continued high wildfire risk due to drought conditions. In Germany, firefighters made significant progress against a wildfire in the Hürtgen Forest, allowing evacuated residents to return home.