Europe experienced a day marked by wildfires across multiple countries, with active blazes and thousands of hectares affected. Belgium faced one of the largest fires in its recent history, while in Greece two people died and hundreds of residents were evacuated.
In Belgium, the largest fire broke out in the east of the country, where flames spread across the High Fens nature reserve and destroyed more than 27 square kilometres of vegetation. According to local media, it was one of the most serious wildfires recorded in the country in recent years. Around 600 residents of Waimes and Bütgenbach were ordered to evacuate on Saturday after a change in wind direction spread smoke towards populated areas.
More than 250 emergency service personnel took part in the operation, including more than 100 Belgian and German firefighters, as well as police, military and Civil Protection personnel. The operation also included helicopters operated by the Belgian Federal Police and teams from the Netherlands. The fire occurred after several weeks of unusually high temperatures and scarce rainfall.
In Greece, two people were found dead on the island of Salamina, a tourist destination near Athens. On the island, two fires were declared almost simultaneously, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. Another fire started on Saturday afternoon on the island of Skyros, where around 100 firefighters were working to control the blaze with support from 11 planes, five helicopters and around 20 vehicles.
In Spain, one of the most serious blazes was located in Aragón, where the fire that began on Monday affected approximately 16,600 hectares and led to the evacuation of more than 1,000 people. More than 1,000 firefighters took part in the effort, with reinforcements from the Army and other national agencies. In Andalusia, regional president Juanma Moreno reported that the fire recorded in Huelva province was stabilised after 36 hours with no new hotspots detected within the affected perimeter.
France also continued to be affected by wildfires. Since Thursday, flames consumed approximately 1,700 hectares of pine forest in Las Landas in the southwest of the country. The fire's advance led to the evacuation of around 650 people from their homes, although authorities said the situation began to improve thanks to a drop in temperatures.
