Two are killed in inferno on Greek island as Belgium's biggest-ever wildfire heads towards Germany as inferno doubles in size in 24 hours

Belgium's largest ever wildfire was spreading towards Germany today as the fire doubled in size in just 24 hours - burning through more than 7,000 acres of forest.   

Military helicopters hauled water onto the ground to help firefighters tame the raging inferno, which has mushroomed in size since erupting on Friday in a hard-to-access nature reserve.

Local farmers have been helping battle the blaze in the High Fens park near the German border - an area of fragile pine forests popular with hikers - joining hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers.

Near the fire's edge in Baelen, tractors pulled in tanks of water drawn from Robertville lake a few miles north - with water-bearing Chinook helicopters flown in from the Netherlands to spearhead the effort.

Jean-Pierre Robert, 54, who manages a lakeside hotel, said: 'Right now there are about 15 tractors queuing to fill up. 

'We moved our cows, and opened up all our fences to give them access.' 

Authorities described today's conditions as 'challenging', but two of the fire fronts are now 'under control', according to Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.

The area affected jumped from 80 hectares (200 acres) on Friday to 850 hectares yesterday - and by early this morning had spread to 3,000 hectares.

Smoke from a massive wildfire in Belgium's Hohes Venn region is seen from Germany today 

A huge plume of smoke is seen rising into the air in Belgium this morning 

Smoke rises from the ground as a fire rages in High Fens nature reserve in Belgium 

A Belgian army firefighter extinguishes a wildfire in a forested area in Waimes, Belgium, today 

A blaze seen rapidly spreading across the Fagnes natural park in eastern Belgium, near the border with Germany, on Friday 

The blaze broke out in an area that was ravaged by massive fires in 1911, during a similar period of heatwaves and drought - and is the country's largest wildfire since then.

The entire area has been blanketed by a thick plume of yellowish smoke, prompting the partial evacuation of two villages close by.

Around 20 people spent the night in a local sports hall, with others believed to have found shelter with friends and family. 

Fumes have travelled into the neighbouring Namur province, where authorities had to ask residents to stop saturating emergency phone lines with reports of the smell.

The governor's office said shifting winds had complicated firefighters' efforts but that 'the defensive line protecting evacuated areas is holding'.

'No homes have been affected at this stage, although the fire remains close and smoke levels are significant,' it said.

Firefighters from across Belgium and from Germany have been deployed to assist, supported by next-generation fire engines.

But authorities said operations were 'particularly complex' because of the terrain. They were counting heavily on aerial assistance to bring the situation under control.

European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said two water-bombing aircraft had arrived from Sweden, backing up four helicopters - two Belgian and two Dutch - already on site.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever has thanked Belgium's European partners for the assistance. 

Like much of Europe, Belgium has experienced a new spell of intense heat and drought in recent days.

A drone view shows Belgian army firefighters using a truck to spray burnt fields and forests during a wildfire near Waimes, in the High Fens

Emergency services on site as a fire rages in the High Fens nature reserve

A small fire starting on the ground in Waimes, Belgium, this afternoon after several days of wildfires 

A wildfire burning in the High Fens nature reserve in Waimes yesterday 

Temperatures reached as high as 37C in some parts of the country on Friday, creating conditions conducive to wildfire outbreaks.

But rescue teams have been unable to access the area where the High Fens fire first broke out, meaning its precise cause remains unknown. 

The High Fens is a large nature reserve, and is currently seeing one of the country's worst wildfires in recent history.

About 600 residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were told to evacuate yesterday as winds shifted and smoke spread through the area. 

Authorities also advised tourists to leave, while a nearby gymnasium was opened to receive evacuees. 

Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said in a statement today that more than 250 emergency personnel have been deployed, including more than 100 Belgian and German firefighters, as well as police and military officers and civil protection staff. 

Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium's federal police and the Netherlands also helped. 

René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forest, said the fire was still spreading today in an area that was difficult for crews to reach. 

'On the eastern flank, there's a line at least a kilometer long where the fire is slowly advancing toward a municipal forest,' Dahmen said. 

'That's the first priority now; we deployed resources last night, and the firefighters are ready, in case it gets too close. 

'The situation is extremely difficult,' Dahmen added. 'We need helicopter support.' 

Authorities said no homes had been affected as of this morning, though the fire remained close to residential areas and heavy smoke persisted. 

They urged people to stay away from the fire zone, warning that unnecessary traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles and complicate firefighting operations. 

The fire follows weeks of unusually hot and dry weather. The High Fens' mix of heathland and peat bogs has complicated efforts to contain the flames. 

The blaze has surpassed a 2011 fire that burned nearly 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) in the same area and was previously Belgium's largest wildfire on record, according to data. 

Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, said conditions were much worse this time. 'We're dealing with something much deeper because we have very dry soil,' he said. 

In France, firefighters battling a wildfire in a pine forest in the southwestern Landes region faced no major flare-ups overnight, Landes Prefect Gilles Clavreul said. 

Authorities estimated the total area burned at 17 square kilometers (6.6 square miles), while about 650 people were evacuated from their homes. 

It was the third major wildfire in the vast pine forests of southwestern France this summer, following two others in late July. 

A massive wildfire in the neighboring Gironde department burned about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) and forced the evacuation of about 220,000 people as it spread toward the Atlantic coast and the Bordeaux area. 

In the UK, emergency crews were fighting 14 wildfires in South Wales with the support of military personnel. Authorities warned that although the heat wave is easing, drought conditions mean the risk of wildfires remains high.

Fires gutted more than a dozen homes in the West Midlands in central England this week as officials recorded the hottest day of the year on Thursday, when temperatures reached 38.1C.