Firefighters engaged in a fierce battle against a massive wildfire that ravaged a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island near Athens. The fires, fueled by hot and dry conditions, have caused significant destruction across parts of Europe.
In eastern Belgium, a blaze consumed approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes), marking one of the country’s most severe wildfires in recent memory. Around 600 residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, located in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate as winds changed direction and smoke enveloped the area. Tourists were also advised to leave, with a local gymnasium set up as an evacuation center.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, announced 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 blaze. Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands were also deployed to assist in the firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, in Greece, the coast guard confirmed the tragic deaths of an elderly couple outside their home on the island of Salamina, 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 Athenians visit nearby islands like Salamina, conveniently reachable from Piraeus, the capital’s main port.
The wildfires have caused damage to properties, and reports indicate that five individuals have been hospitalized. Approximately 192 firefighters, 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteer crews, and municipal water tankers have been deployed to contain the blazes. Coast guard and firefighting vessels were dispatched to the island, with preparations made for potential sea evacuations from at-risk coastal areas. Salamina was under a high wildfire risk warning on Sunday, with the cause of the fires yet to be determined.
The wildfire currently engulfing Belgium has surpassed a 2011 fire that burned 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, highlighted the significantly worse conditions this time, attributing the severity to extremely dry soil.
René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, reported that the fire was still spreading on Sunday in a challenging-to-access area. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin commended firefighters for preventing the fire from advancing 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, prompting farmers from both Belgium and Germany to assist firefighters by filling tanker trucks with water from a nearby lake.
Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive aid from other countries. Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s commissioner for crisis management, emphasized the collective response to the crisis, mentioning that Sweden dispatched two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters from the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were also deployed.
The fires come after a period of unusually hot and dry weather. The unique landscape of the High Fens, characterized by heathland and peat bogs, has complicated firefighting efforts. Belgium experienced another heatwave, with temperatures reaching approximately 37 degrees Celsius in certain areas on Friday.
In France, firefighters are battling a wildfire in a pine forest in the Landes region, with no significant flare-ups reported overnight. About 650 individuals have been evacuated from their homes, with the total burned area estimated at 17 square kilometers. In the UK, emergency crews are combating 14 wildfires in South Wales, supported by military personnel, as authorities warn of continued high wildfire risk due to drought conditions. Germany has made progress against a wildfire in the Hürtgen Forest, allowing evacuated residents to return home.
The wildfires across Europe underscore the urgent need for coordinated efforts to combat the escalating crisis.