One of the largest wildfires ever seen in Belgium continued to burn uncontrollably on Monday, despite cooler weather and rain providing some relief to firefighters. In a separate incident, a fire briefly erupted near the main airport on the outskirts of Athens in Greece.
The wildfire in Belgium is expected to persist for an extended period underground due to the peaty soil, occasionally flaring up unpredictably, as explained by a fire ranger. Europe is experiencing one of its hottest and driest summers on record, with climate change being identified as a contributing factor to the extreme conditions.
Amid the blaze in the eastern High Fens region of Belgium, King Philippe interrupted his summer vacation to visit the emergency services battling the wildfire. The fire has spread over an estimated 30 square kilometers in the Liège province, leaving charred trees and smoldering terrain.
Although the fire did not significantly expand, it remained uncontained in inaccessible areas, as reported by the Wallonia region. Approximately 500 firefighters, supported by aircraft from Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands, along with local police drones, worked tirelessly to combat the blaze following overnight rain.
Farmers assisted in providing water for firefighting efforts, with helicopters dropping large quantities of water over the flames in forested areas. Despite some containment progress, a spokesperson for the Wallonia regional public services indicated that the fire was still active in certain remote locations.
In Greece, firefighters swiftly extinguished a fire near the main airport in Athens after it broke out, with additional fires reported in other areas. In a separate incident, an elderly man was arrested in Kavala on arson charges for allegedly deliberately starting a fire. The fire department in Greece has made over 300 fire-related arrests this year, including cases of arson and negligence.
In southwestern France, authorities declared a wildfire in the Landes region under control after several days of intense firefighting efforts. Evacuated residents were allowed to return home as temperatures began to decrease, offering some relief after a period of extreme heat.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu pledged a 12 million-euro aid package to support the regions most affected by the wildfires, aiming to assist in rebuilding homes and aiding impacted businesses. Moreover, in Croatia, four individuals are suspected of deliberately starting multiple fires near Zadar, a prominent tourist destination on the Adriatic coast, with investigations ongoing to determine the extent of the damage caused by these incidents.