Emergency services were attempting to control a large wildfire in the east of Belgium on Sunday, after the blaze destroyed about 2,700 hectares (6,700 acres) of a nature reserve and forced about 600 residents to evacuate in an area near the German border.
Local media said the fire in the Hautes Fagnes reserve is the largest in Belgium’s history, though authorities on Sunday said no homes had been damaged.
The fast-moving wildfire is nearing the German border, with the city of Monschau, a major tourist hub in the Eifel region, in focus. Local authorities early Sunday morning urged residents in parts of the town to evacuate to prevent health risks from smoke, though they later said that for now there’s no reason to believe that the fire will spread into German territory.
The incident follows several weeks of hot and dry weather across Europe, which has already triggered major fires in France, Spain, the UK and other countries.
In Greece, two dead bodies were found close to the area were a fire broke out on Sunday on the island of Salamina, close to Athens. More than 190 firefighters along with six planes and eight helicopters are trying to contain wildfires there, while fire department and coast guard boats have evacuated people from the island.
Meanwhile, a fire in the Landes department of southwestern France has burned about 1,700 hectares since Thursday, Gilles Clavreul, the prefect of the department, told reporters Sunday morning.
While rain isn’t forecast, temperatures are dropping below 30C (86F), making conditions more helpful for firefighters, he said.
“The situation is developing rather favorably,” he said. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but things are clearly looking better than they did yesterday.”
In Belgium, Defense Minister Theo Francken said he’ll present a military fire action plan to the nation’s parliament, according to a post on X. The European Union sent two helicopters and one aircraft to help fight the fires, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on X, after Belgium activated the EU’s civil protection mechanism.
Meanwhile, a nearby wildfire in Germany that had required the evacuation of more than 2,000 people on Friday appears to be under control. According to an official statement, residents in western North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to return to their homes.
Photograph: A large wall of smoke rising from Germany toward the massive wildfire in Belgium’s Hohes Venn region; photo credit: Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance/Getty
Related:
- Germany Evacuates Nearly 2,000 People as Wildfire Spreads in the West
- France Evacuates 525 People as New Wildfire Hits Pine Woods in Southwest
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