SOURBRODT, Belgium (AP) — One of the largest wildfires ever recorded in Belgium raged out of control Monday, even as cooler weather and morning rain eased conditions for hundreds of firefighters in remote rural and mountainous areas. In Greece, a fire briefly broke out near the main airport on the outskirts of Athens. A forest ranger said the fire in Belgium could continue for months underground in peat soils and reappear sporadically. Europe is experiencing one of the hottest and driest summers on record, which a recent study says was fueled by climate change. Rain helps, but Belgian fire not yet under control Belgium’s King Philippe cut short his summer holiday to visit emergency services battling the forest fire in the eastern High Fens, about eight kilometers (five miles) from the German border, as it spread east after advancing into a pine forest on Sunday. The fire in Liege province has burned about 30 square kilometers (about 12 square miles), leaving blackened trees and smoldering earth. AP AUDIO: A Belgian forest fire is approaching Germany as Greece investigates a deadly fire AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports that a Belgian forest fire is approaching Germany as Greece investigates a deadly fire. While the fire did not grow significantly, due in part to favorable winds, it remained out of control in areas inaccessible to ground crews, the Wallonia region said in an update. About 500 firefighters were helped by planes sent from Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands and local police with drones after a cold front brought rain overnight. Farmers were helping to supply water for firefighting efforts, regional officials said. Helicopters dumped huge bags of water on the flames as smoke billowed from the forests. “We managed to keep the fire at the place where the firefighters are, but there is still a completely inaccessible place, where the fire continues in the direction of Monschau, in Germany,” said Nicolas Yernaux, spokesman for the regional public services of Wallonia. He said the overnight rains helped contain the fire and dampen the potential for smoldering fires to flare up again, but he said they did not significantly affect the center of the fire. A ranger in the region told The Associated Press that the fire could continue for months underground because of the peaty soil. “What we see here is that the grasslands have burned and the fire has reached the ground to a certain depth, to the peat, and it is still burning,” said Yves Pieper. “It can go very, very low into the peat layer.” Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. He said the fire can continue to burn underground unseen for weeks or months before reappearing, noting that new flames had already appeared nearby. Preventive evacuation orders remained in effect for hundreds of residents. Veterinarian Hugues Guyvot, who was involved in the animal rescue efforts, said large animals were able to flee, but smaller ones, such as frogs and mice, probably burrowed and were baked underground in a peat bog landscape. “It may take decades to recover from this fire,” he said. Greece quickly extinguishes fire near main airport In Greece, fire department investigators examined the area of Salamis island where a fast-moving forest fire on Sunday killed two people, injured nine others and destroyed several homes. The island is located just west of the Greek capital. New wildfires broke out elsewhere on Monday. Dozens of firefighters along with two water-launching planes and two helicopters raced to board one in Spata, an area east of Athens that includes the main international airport. The fire department said the fire was contained within 30 minutes. Separately, the fire department said an 80-year-old man was arrested in the northern city of Kavala on charges of arson for allegedly deliberately setting fire to dry vegetation. It was one of 302 fire-related arrests since Jan. 1 in Greece, including 31 for deliberate arson and 271 for negligence causing fires, the department said. France says a fire in the southwest is under control 17 square kilometers (6.6 square miles) during a prolonged period of extreme heat. Some respite was on the way Monday as temperatures began to drop. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the state would provide a 12 million euro ($13.9 million) aid package to Gironde and Landes, the regions hardest hit by the wildfires, to help rebuild homes and support affected businesses, including Le Porge, where 183 homes were destroyed in a massive fire last month. Croatian police arrest arson suspects In Croatia, four people are suspected of deliberately starting up to 10 fires in the region around the coastal city of Zadar, a major tourist center on the Adriatic coast. The suspects were questioned by an investigating judge after their arrest on Saturday following a tip from residents. The four are suspected of starting fires on August 14 and 15 with the aim of “endangering lives and valuable property and inflicting damage on a large number of residents in Zadar County,” police said. he said in a statement. There was no information on a possible motive. Police said they were assessing the extent of the damage caused. ___Corbet reported from Paris. Elena Becatoros in Argostoli, Greece, and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed.
