Belgium Battles Biggest Wildfire On Record As Blaze Heads Towards German Border

Belgium’s biggest wildfire on record continued to spread towards the German border on Sunday after burning around 3,000 hectares in the eastern High Fens nature reserve.

Firefighters worked through the night as flames moved towards nearby villages. The fire started on Friday and grew from about 1,600 hectares on Saturday to 2,700 hectares later that day before reaching 3,000 hectares by Sunday. It is now more than twice the size of the previous major fire recorded in the area in 2011.

More than 250 emergency workers are involved in the operation. They include Belgian and German firefighters, police, military personnel and civil protection teams. Firefighters from Luxembourg, the Belgian army and local farmers are also helping contain the blaze. Helicopters from Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have been used in the fight.

The European Union has also sent three helicopters and two water bomber aircraft after Belgium asked for emergency help. The aircraft came from European countries including the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Around 600 residents in Waimes and Bütgenbach were told to leave their homes after winds changed direction and pushed thick smoke towards populated areas. Tourists were also asked to leave, while a gymnasium was opened for evacuees. A children’s summer camp was evacuated as the fire spread.

The difficult ground is making the firefighting effort harder. The High Fens has large areas of peat bogs and heathland, which can allow fires to continue burning below the surface. Changing winds have added to the problem.

The fire front was about 3 kilometres from Germany on Sunday. It has not crossed the border. In nearby Monschau, officials warned of heavy smoke and advised people in some areas near the border to leave temporarily.

Authorities said the defensive line set up to protect evacuated villages was holding. However, residents who left on Saturday were told not to return yet. No homes had been affected, but the fire remained close to residential areas and smoke levels were high.

The blaze comes as Belgium faces its fifth heatwave of the summer. Temperatures reached around 37 degrees Celsius in parts of the country. Cooler and more humid weather expected in the coming days could help firefighters slow the flames and bring the fire under control.