Belgium Struggles With Largest Wildfire Amid Deadly Blazes In Europe

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BRUSSELS (Worthy News) – Firefighters backed by Dutch military helicopters battled Belgium’s largest wildfire on record Sunday as flames swept through nearly 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of nature reserve and threatened areas near the German border, while deadly blazes raged elsewhere in Europe, including Greece.

Hundreds of emergency workers were deployed in the High Fens, or Hoge Venen, in eastern Belgium, where the blaze has been burning since Friday through forests and peatland left extremely dry by prolonged heat.

Two Dutch Chinook helicopters joined the operation, carrying large water buckets capable of holding about 7,600 liters (2,000 gallons), while firefighters from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the Belgian military and local farmers also participated in efforts to contain the flames.

Hundreds of residents and tourists were ordered to leave threatened areas, with authorities saying Sunday that a defensive line protecting evacuated villages was holding. However, residents were told it was still too dangerous to return home.

RECORD BELGIAN WILDFIRE

“There are a lot of emotions,” fleeing residents told Belgian broadcaster VRT. “This is the place where we grew up.”

The fire has already become Belgium’s largest on record, burning more than twice the area destroyed by a major 2011 wildfire, which scorched nearly 1,400 hectares (3,460 acres).

“We would never have imagined that Belgium would be affected by a fire of this scale. Now, we have to face the facts,” fire brigade captain Karim Bouarfa, who worked through Saturday night, told Reuters.

“I think we will have more and more of them, so it is up to us to prepare ourselves as best as possible,” he added.

EU SENDS EMERGENCY HELP

The European Union responded to Belgium’s request for emergency assistance by deploying three helicopters and two water-dropping aircraft from European countries.

German authorities were also watching developments closely as the fire moved toward the border.

Authorities in Monschau, Germany, asked residents in areas near Belgium to leave due to potentially dangerous smoke, although officials said the flames themselves were not expected to cross into German territory.

By Sunday afternoon, Belgian officials said the situation along the front toward Monschau had improved, although evacuation advice remained in place for some areas.

GERMAN BORDER THREATENED

Firefighters faced another problem: significant rain was not expected immediately. Belgian weather forecasters said substantial relief might not arrive until around Wednesday.

The Belgian disaster came amid a broader wildfire emergency across Europe following successive periods of extreme heat and drought.

Two people, believed to be a couple, died Sunday as fast-moving wildfires swept through the Greek island of Salamina, west of Athens, while several others were injured and residents were evacuated from threatened areas.

Nearly 200 firefighters, backed by 14 aircraft and helicopters, battled flames driven by strong winds, while coast guard vessels were positioned for possible sea evacuations.

DEADLY FIRES HIT GREECE

Elsewhere, about 100 French firefighters were heading to Spain to help battle a massive blaze in Aragon that has burned some 16,600 hectares (41,000 acres).

The disasters have renewed debate about the impact of climate change and other factors on Europe’s increasingly severe wildfire seasons.

Numerous scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of hot and dry conditions that can leave vegetation tinder-dry, allowing wildfires to spread faster and burn more intensely.

Other specialists are more skeptical of attributing individual wildfires primarily to human-caused climate change, citing natural climate variability over centuries.

WILDFIRE CAUSES DEBATED

They also stress that individual fires can have different immediate causes—including human activity, accidents, lightning and deliberate arson—while land management, changing vegetation and development near fire-prone areas can influence how destructive they become.

For Belgium, where fires of this magnitude were once considered highly unusual, the devastation of the High Fens has raised urgent questions about whether the densely populated Western European nation is adequately prepared for increasingly severe wildfire emergencies.

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