Rain aids firefighters battling Belgium’s largest wildfire as Europe faces continued fire risk

Brussels, Belgium. Rain in eastern Belgium on Monday morning aided firefighters battling the country’s largest wildfire on record, which had threatened to reach the German border. Fire risk remained high across large parts of western, southern and central Europe.

Rain forecast in High Fens

The High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium has been burning since Friday. Belgium’s weather agency IRM forecast between 5 and 9 millimetres of rain for the area on Monday.

Temperatures were expected to fall to about 20C, after exceeding 30C during last week’s heatwave, when temperatures reached 37C in parts of Belgium.

“This will change everything; in addition to the water associated with rainfall, there will also be an increase in humidity levels,” fire department captain Olivier Guist told Belgian radio station RTBF.

Fires across Europe

Wildfires have affected Europe this summer following successive severe heatwaves that intensified drought and left vegetation dry, according to the report. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System showed that fires had burned 576,000 hectares in Europe this year, an area twice the size of Luxembourg.

Despite lower temperatures in Belgium, EFFIS data showed that large areas of western, southern and central Europe remained at high risk of wildfires on Monday.

Over the weekend, an elderly couple died as fires swept through the Greek island of Salamina. Some 500 people were evacuated by ferry after gale-force winds pushed a wildfire towards residential areas and damaged homes.

In northeastern Spain, a blaze in Aragon destroyed 16,600 hectares. A fire in the Croatian tourist town of Omis forced 1,000 people to evacuate.

Record fire seasons

Extreme fire risk has become a regular feature of European summers, with hotter and drier weather linked to climate change combining with factors including rural abandonment, which has allowed dry, flammable vegetation to build up in forests.

Around 90% of wildfires are ignited by human activity, including campfires and discarded cigarettes.

Europe recorded its worst fire season last year, when more than one million hectares burned. Several countries, including France, have already exceeded their annual records this year, while the traditional June-to-September fire season continues.

Dozens of residents in Le Porge, southwestern France, booed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu during his visit to the village, where a megafire destroyed hundreds of homes last month. Residents criticised the government’s response and accused authorities of prioritising wealthier areas.