Brussels, August 17 (QNA) – Rain forecast for eastern Belgium today is expected to provide much-needed assistance to firefighters battling the largest wildfire in the country’s history, as authorities work to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading toward the German border.

Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) forecast between five and nine millimetres of rain for Monday in the High Fens nature reserve in the east of the country, where wildfires have been burning since Friday.

Temperatures in the area are also expected to fall to around 20 degrees Celsius, after exceeding 30 degrees Celsius last week during a heatwave that pushed temperatures in parts of Belgium as high as 37 degrees Celsius.

Speaking about the expected rainfall to Belgian broadcaster RTBF, a fire service commander said the change in weather could have a significant impact.

“It will change everything,” he said, noting that in addition to the rainfall itself, humidity levels would also increase.

Wildfires have affected several European countries this summer following successive heatwaves intensified by climate change, which have sharply increased dryness in both the weather and vegetation.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System showed that wildfires have burned approximately 1.4 million acres across Europe since the beginning of the year.

Earlier this week, wildfires that swept across the Greek island of Salamina killed an elderly couple, damaged homes and, fanned by strong winds, pushed flames toward residential areas. Authorities were forced to evacuate around 500 people by ferry.

Meanwhile, a wildfire in Aragon, northeastern Spain, destroyed around 40,000 acres, while a blaze in the Croatian resort town of Omis forced about 1,000 people to evacuate. (QNA)