Deadly Wildfires Rage Across Europe, Claiming Lives in Greece Amidst Mass Evacuations
Two confirmed dead on Salamina as international aid mobilises to combat blazes intensified by successive heatwaves.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
Two people have died in fast-moving wildfires on the Greek island of Salamina.
The discovery followed two fires that erupted almost simultaneously in Peristeria and Selinia, popular bathing areas on the island's south and east. Officials in Greece verified the recovery of the two bodies, believed to be a couple.
A fire department spokesman confirmed hundreds of people had been evacuated an hour earlier. An operation is currently underway to evacuate residents from the Kolones and Saterli areas of the island.
Five individuals were reportedly taken to a local health clinic. The first blaze on Salamina, an island near Athens, was reported at 14:40 local time.
A substantial force of 192 firefighters, 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteer crews, and municipal water tankers have been deployed to combat the inferno. Coast guard and firefighting vessels have also been dispatched to the island.
The crisis extends beyond Greece, with approximately 600 residents in Waimes and Bütgenbach, Belgium, ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to secure international assistance.
Sweden sent two water-bombing aircraft in response. The Netherlands and the Czech Republic have deployed helicopters to aid the firefighting efforts.
Belgian federal police helicopters also support operations. Temperatures in Belgium reached approximately 37°C (98.6°F) on Friday, contributing to the severity of the blazes.
Officials could not rule out health risks from smoke in three outlying districts near the German border in Monschau. A forest fire in Hürtgen, Germany, has been largely contained, allowing evacuated residents to return home.
Successive heatwaves across Europe have intensified drought conditions, leaving vegetation critically dry. These conditions contribute to the outbreak and rapid spread of these wildfires.
A fire in the same area in 2011 burned nearly 14 square kilometres; the current blaze in Belgium is understood to be the largest in the country's modern history.