Firefighters fought 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 conditions escalating fires across parts of Europe.
In eastern Belgium, a fire consumed approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes), a significant nature reserve, marking one of the worst wildfires in recent history in the country. Around 600 residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate as winds changed direction, spreading smoke in the area. Authorities recommended tourists leave, and an adjacent gymnasium was opened to accommodate evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, disclosed on Sunday that more than 250 emergency responders were mobilized, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, in addition to police, military personnel, and civil protection teams. Belgian federal police and Dutch firefighting helicopters were also involved in the operations.
On the Greek island of Salamina, the coast guard reported the deaths of an elderly couple outside their residence, close to where a fire originated. Over 500 people were rescued from the island. The fire erupted during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend around the Assumption holiday on August 15, drawing many Athenians to nearby islands like Salamina, easily reachable from Piraeus, the capital’s main port. Several houses were damaged, and five individuals were taken to a health facility as indicated by local sources.
The wildfire in Belgium has exceeded a 2011 fire that scorched nearly 14 square kilometers in the same vicinity, previously the country’s most extensive wildfire on record, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System. Nicolas Yernaux, a representative for the Public Service of Wallonia, highlighted the severe conditions this time, emphasizing the exceptionally dry soil.
René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, mentioned that the fire was still spreading on Sunday in an area challenging for crews to access. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, via social media, acknowledged the successful containment efforts of firefighters preventing the blaze from advancing westward towards the German town of Monschau.
Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive support from other countries, with Sweden dispatching two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters from the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were also deployed. The ongoing fires in Europe are a consequence of weeks of abnormal hot and arid weather, complicating firefighting efforts due to the unique landscape of the High Fens comprising heathland and peat bogs.
In France, firefighters managed a wildfire in the southwestern Landes region in a pine forest without major incidents overnight, with an estimated area burnt at 17 square kilometers and around 650 evacuations. The UK also faced wildfires in South Wales, with military personnel assisting emergency crews, while the threat of wildfires persisted due to enduring drought conditions despite the easing of the heatwave. Germany reported significant progress against a wildfire in the Hürtgen Forest, enabling evacuated residents to return home with fire containment measures in place.