“We managed to extinguish the wildfire that started in an open area and stopped it from spreading to the fir forest. The operation was successful, but the emergency is not over yet,” Gregory Melotte, one of the firefighters, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
“The flames are moving toward us, and the wind has changed direction twice—once in our favor and once against us.”
The country has activated the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to request additional support from other member states as firefighters continue battling the wildfire.
European Commissioner Haja Ravib said two Swedish firefighting water bombers and two helicopters—one from the Czech Republic and another from the Netherlands—were on their way to assist with the emergency response.
Meanwhile, local authorities in southwestern France evacuated 650 people after a wildfire broke out in the Landes region.
The fire first started on Thursday before reigniting on Saturday, authorities said. More than 500 firefighters were deployed to contain the blaze and protect nearby communities.
Wildfires have affected large areas of Europe since Friday, with blazes reported in Croatia, Spain and Serbia as an exceptionally hot summer draws to a close.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed that Western Europe experienced its hottest June–July period on record, intensifying concerns over extreme heat and wildfire risks.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk