Firefighters fought 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 Europe.
In eastern Belgium, a fire consumed approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes), marking one of the nation’s most severe wildfires in recent memory. Around 600 residents in the nearby towns of Waimes and Bütgenbach in Liège province, close to the German border, were instructed to evacuate as winds changed direction, enveloping the area in smoke. Authorities urged tourists to depart, while a nearby gymnasium was set up to shelter evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, announced on Sunday that over 250 emergency responders were on site, including more than 100 Belgian and German firefighters, along with police, military personnel, and civil protection teams. Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands also provided assistance.
In Greece, the coast guard reported the death of an elderly couple outside their residence on the island of Salamina, to the west of Athens, close to where the fire ignited. Over 500 individuals were evacuated from the island. The incident occurred during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend surrounding the Aug. 15 Assumption holiday, drawing many Athenians to nearby islands like Salamina, easily accessible from the capital’s main port of Piraeus. Several residences were damaged, with five individuals receiving medical attention at a local clinic.
The wildfire in Belgium has surpassed the 2011 fire that impacted nearly 14 square kilometers in the same region, previously the country’s largest recorded wildfire, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System. Nicolas Yernaux, a Public Service of Wallonia spokesperson, highlighted worsened conditions this time due to extremely dry soil.
René Dahmen, the chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, noted on Sunday that the fire was spreading in an area challenging for crews to access. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed that firefighters successfully prevented the fire from advancing towards the west and the German town of Monschau. Local German authorities alerted that the fire was approximately 1.5 kilometers from the border.
Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive support from other nations. Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s crisis management commissioner, emphasized solidarity in addressing the crisis. Sweden dispatched two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters, including two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic, were also deployed.
The fires in Europe have been fueled by weeks of unusually hot and dry weather, complicating containment efforts in the High Fens due to its mix of heathland and peat bogs. Belgium experienced another wave of intense heat, with temperatures reaching around 37°C in some parts of the country on Friday.