Rainfall brought relief to firefighters battling Belgium’s largest wildfire on record in the High Fens nature reserve. The fire, which has burned around 3,000 hectares, was partly contained on Monday and was no longer spreading towards the German border as cooler temperatures and increased humidity helped slow its advance.

The wildfire is part of a severe fire season across Europe, where successive heatwaves have created hot, dry conditions. Around 576,000 hectares of land have already been burned across Europe this year, while major fires have also affected Greece, Spain and Croatia. In Greece, an elderly couple died as fires swept through the island of Salamina, while a blaze in northeastern Spain destroyed 16,600 hectares.

Around 500 firefighters from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, supported by farmers and the army, have been working to contain the Belgian blaze. The European Union has also deployed three helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft after Belgium requested emergency assistance. Officials warned that the European wildfire season remains far from over, with high fire risks continuing across large parts of the continent.

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