Firefighters have been combating 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 conditions that are fueling fires across various parts of Europe.
The fire in eastern Belgium consumed approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens, a significant nature reserve, marking one of the worst wildfires in recent history for the country. Around 600 residents in the neighboring municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate on Saturday as winds changed direction and smoke engulfed the area. Authorities recommended tourists to leave, and a nearby gymnasium was opened to accommodate evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, disclosed on Sunday that more than 250 emergency personnel were mobilized, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, along with police, military officers, and civil protection staff. Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands also deployed firefighting helicopters to assist.
In Greece, the coast guard confirmed the death of an elderly couple outside their residence on the island of Salamina, west of Athens, close to where the fire originated. Over 500 individuals were rescued from the island. The incident occurred during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend around the Aug. 15 Assumption holiday, when many Athenians visit nearby islands like Salamina, easily accessible from Piraeus, the capital’s main port.
The blaze caused damage to homes, and reports indicate that five people have been hospitalized. Approximately 192 firefighters, 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteer crews, and municipal water tankers were deployed to control the fires. Coast guard and firefighting vessels were dispatched to the island, with preparations made for potential sea evacuations from coastal areas at risk.
Salamina was under a high wildfire risk warning on Sunday, with the cause of the fires yet to be determined. The fire in Belgium has surpassed a 2011 blaze that scorched nearly 14 square kilometers in the same region, previously the country’s largest recorded wildfire, based on data from the European Forest Fire Information System.
Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, emphasized that conditions were notably worse this time. René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, mentioned that the fire continued to spread on Sunday in a challenging terrain for firefighting crews to access.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin shared on social media that firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from extending towards the west and the German town of Monschau. In Germany, local authorities cautioned on Sunday 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. Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s commissioner for crisis management, stated that Sweden dispatched two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters from the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were also deployed to assist.
The fires come after a period of unusually hot and dry weather in the region, complicating firefighting efforts in the mix of heathland and peat bogs in the High Fens. Belgium experienced another round of intense heat, with temperatures reaching around 37 degrees Celsius in some areas on Friday.
In France, firefighters managed a wildfire in a pine forest in the southwestern Landes region without major flare-ups overnight, with around 650 individuals evacuated from their homes. The UK and Germany are also dealing with wildfires, as emergency crews battle blazes with the support of military personnel, emphasizing the continued high risk of wildfires due to drought conditions.
