Belgium is battling what officials describe as the country’s largest wildfire in modern history, as a broader wave of fires has brought deaths, evacuations and major emergency operations across Europe.
The fire, which began on Friday in the High Fens nature reserve near the German border, had ravaged about 3,000 hectares by early Sunday. About 600 people in the municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach in Liège province were ordered to evacuate as shifting winds spread smoke. Tourists were also advised to leave.
More than 250 firefighters and emergency workers, including crews from Germany, are involved in the operation. Farmers have helped by using tractors to bring water from Lake Robertville.
Two water-bombing aircraft from Sweden and four helicopters from Belgium and the Netherlands are supporting the response. The reserve’s dense forest, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks have made access difficult, with heavy firefighting vehicles at risk of sinking.
Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin said conditions remained challenging, although two fire fronts towards Jalhay and Monschau were under control. Access to Lake Bütgenbach was restricted on Sunday to allow aircraft to refill.
In Greece, an elderly couple died outside their home in the Peristeria beach area of Salamis, according to the coastguard. More than 500 people were ordered to evacuate.
A soldier died in Spain while helping to fight a wildfire in Aragon, where French reinforcements were expected to assist efforts to contain a blaze that has burned for a week and threatened a 1,000-year-old monastery.
Portugal also deployed hundreds of firefighters to multiple fires. Five firefighters were injured near Dine, close to the Spanish border, when their vehicle caught fire, according to local media.
The fires follow a period of intense heat across much of Europe. On Friday, a fire at a Croatian holiday resort killed one person, injured 40 and forced 1,200 people to evacuate. Further evacuations were reported in western Germany and south-west France, while holidaymakers were rescued from beaches threatened by flames in Greece.
Human-caused climate breakdown is driving more frequent and deadlier extreme weather disasters, from heatwaves and floods to wildfires.
