Firefighters were engaged in combatting a large wildfire that ravaged a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island near Athens. The fires were fueled by hot and dry conditions prevalent across various parts of Europe.
In eastern Belgium, a fire consumed approximately 30 square kilometers in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes), marking one of the worst wildfires the country has experienced recently. About 600 residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, situated in Liège province near the German border, were instructed to evacuate as winds changed direction, spreading smoke in the area. Authorities recommended tourists to leave, and a nearby gymnasium was utilized as a shelter for evacuees.
Hervé Jamar, the provincial governor of Liège, reported that more than 250 emergency personnel, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, as well as police, military officers, and civil protection staff, were mobilized to combat the blaze. Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands’ firefighting helicopters also provided assistance.
On a Greek island, the coast guard confirmed the death of an elderly couple outside their residence on Salamina Island, west of Athens, where a fire originated. More than 500 individuals were rescued from the island. The incident occurred during Greece’s peak summer holiday weekend, around the Assumption holiday on August 15, when many Athenians visit nearby islands like Salamina, conveniently accessible from Piraeus, the capital’s main port. Several houses were damaged, and five individuals were taken to a health clinic.
The wildfire response efforts involved approximately 192 firefighters, 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteer teams, and municipal water tankers. Coast guard and firefighting vessels were dispatched to the island, with preparations made for potential sea evacuations from coastal regions under threat. Salamina was under a high wildfire risk warning, and the cause of the fires remained unknown.
The ongoing wildfire in Belgium has exceeded a 2011 fire that burned nearly 14 square kilometers in the same area, previously the country’s largest wildfire on record. Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, highlighted the aggravated conditions this time due to extremely dry soil.
René Dahmen, the chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forests, mentioned that the fire was spreading in an area challenging for firefighting crews to access. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin noted that efforts had successfully prevented the blaze from advancing towards the west and the German town of Monschau. Additionally, local authorities in Germany warned that the fire was approximately 1.5 kilometers away 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 the deployment of three helicopters—two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic—was underway. The fires were exacerbated by weeks of unusually hot and dry weather, complicating containment efforts in the High Fens’ heathland and peat bogs.
In France, firefighters managed a wildfire in the Landes region with no major flare-ups overnight. Approximately 650 people were evacuated from their homes, and it marked the third major wildfire in southwestern France this summer. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom experienced 14 wildfires in South Wales, leading to the evacuation of residents. Germany reported progress in containing a wildfire in the Hürtgen Forest, allowing evacuated residents to return home.