Massive wildfires sweep Belgium and Greece; Two killed on Salamina Island near Athens
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BAELEN, Belgium / ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters in Belgium and Greece are battling major wildfires fueled by hot, dry weather and strong winds, with two people killed Sunday on the Greek island of Salamina, west of Athens.
Belgium: Largest Wildfire in Country’s Recorded History
A fast‑moving fire has scorched about 12 square miles of the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium — now confirmed as the largest wildfire ever recorded in the country, surpassing a 2011 fire that burned 5.5 square miles.
Authorities ordered 600 residents in Waimes and Bütgenbach to evacuate as shifting winds pushed smoke and flames toward populated areas. More than 250 emergency personnel, including Belgian and German firefighters, police, military units, and civil protection teams, are deployed. Helicopters from Belgium and the Netherlands are conducting aerial water drops.
Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, prompting assistance from Sweden (two water‑bombing aircraft), the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic (three helicopters).
Officials warn that extremely dry soil, peat bogs, and heathland are making containment difficult, with a kilometer‑long active flank still advancing toward municipal forest. Temperatures reached 37°C (98.6°F) during the week, worsening conditions.
Greece: Two Dead on Salamina Island
In Greece, two people were killed in a wildfire on Salamina, where near gale‑force winds pushed flames into residential areas within minutes. Their bodies were recovered in the village of Peristeria. A second fire ignited in the Selini area.
About 260 firefighters, including 15 ground teams, 10 aircraft, and eight helicopters, are responding. Coast guard vessels evacuated beachgoers as fire fronts shifted rapidly.
Fire Brig. Gen. Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said the wildfire reached “dangerous proportions” within seven minutes, driven by extreme winds and tinder‑dry vegetation.
Wider European Situation
- France: A wildfire in the Landes region burned 6.5 square miles; earlier Gironde fires consumed 160 square miles and forced 220,000 evacuations.
- United Kingdom: Crews fought 14 wildfires in South Wales; temperatures hit 38.1°C (100.6°F), gutting homes in the West Midlands.
- Germany: Progress reported in the Hürtgen Forest fire, allowing 2,000 evacuees from Gey to return home.
Editorial Foot Note: Although many world headlines, including ours, say two lost their lives as a result of this fire, it is actually not entirely clear why the elderly couple died. Reuters reports that their bodies were found outside their home near the area where the fire started. The circumstances oof their deaths are being investigated.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons License.
Greek wildfire. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greece_Forest_Fire_July_25_2007.jpg
Forest fire burns on the island of Zakynthos in Greece on July 25th, 2007.
Date: 25 July 2007
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainhalo/1129507581/
Author: Carl Osbourn
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Further Reading:
https://apnews.com/article/europe-wildfires-belgium-66c6fb6801f5574fde2dfc07a610a4cb