Belgium tackles fast-growing wildfire as it burns through 1,600 hectares
The wildfire at the Fagnes natural park near the border with Germany has ballooned in size since breaking out on Friday.
A rapidly spreading wildfire in eastern Belgium's Fagnes natural park has razed at least 16 square kilometres of forest since it ignited on Friday, authorities reported. Belgian and German firefighter reinforcements have been mobilised to combat the blaze, which expanded overnight. The nearby village of Sourbrodt, home to around 500 people, faced a potential evacuation due to the smoke, though a final decision has not been made, according to Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesman for the regional authorities in Wallonia.
The fire's proximity raises the risk to homes, but authorities are deploying all available resources to safeguard them. In Eupen, a municipality near the fire, smoke turned the sky yellow, with visible columns of smoke in the distance, as an AFP journalist on the scene reported.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Hundreds of villagers evacuate as Belgium battles record wildfire france24.com
- Belgium tackles fast-growing wildfire as it burns through 1,600 hectares freemalaysiatoday.com
