Baelen, Belgium, en.SERU.co.id – Firefighters in Belgium and Greece continued battling major wildfires on Sunday as hot, dry and windy conditions fueled the blazes. In Belgium a blaze consumed thousands of hectares of nature reserve while in Greece two people died on an island near Athens.
Record blaze in Belgium’s High Fens
The fire that began on Friday in the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium near the German border has burned about 3,000 hectares. Authorities described it as the largest wildfire recorded in Belgium in modern times, exceeding the previous record of nearly 1,400 hectares set in 2011.
More than 250 emergency personnel have been deployed, including teams from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. Around 600 residents of the municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach were evacuated on Saturday because of shifting winds and thick smoke.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said two fire fronts heading toward Jalhay and the German town of Monschau were “under control.” Overall conditions remain challenging due to difficult terrain of peat bogs and forest that limits ground access.
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Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. Helicopters from the Netherlands and water-bombing aircraft from Sweden have joined the effort. Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on X:
“Thank you to our European partners for the assistance they are providing.” He also praised emergency crews from across the country.
Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, noted the extremely dry soil has worsened the situation.
“We’re dealing with something much deeper because we have very dry soil,” he said.
Two killed on Greek island of Salamis
In Greece two fires broke out almost simultaneously on Sunday on the island of Salamis near Athens. Two people, reported to be an elderly couple, were found dead in the Peristeria beach area.
Fire Service communications director Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the flames spread with extreme speed.
“With the wind reaching up to 61 kilometers per hour, the fire spread rapidly in seven minutes,” he stated.
More than 570 people, including beachgoers, were evacuated by coast guard vessels and other boats. About 260 firefighters supported by aircraft and helicopters were deployed. Additional fires on the islands of Skyros and Andros prompted further evacuations.
Hot, dry and windy weather continues to drive fire risk across parts of Europe. Impact figures in both countries remain subject to change as firefighting operations continue.
