Belgium counts on air support as record wildfire jumps in size

Belgian firefighters were bracing for crucial aerial support to combat the country's largest modern-day wildfire that had doubled in size over a single day. The High Fens nature reserve near the German border, ravaged by peatlands and pine forests in 1911, saw the blaze expand from 80 hectares to 3,000 hectares. Belgian federal police helicopters and Dutch aircraft were seen repeatedly drawing water from a nearby lake as reinforcements from several European countries were set to arrive under a European Union civil protection mechanism.

The challenging terrain of the fens, a mix of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks, made firefighting operations particularly complex. Authorities praised local farmers who had made water tankers available for firefighting efforts. Despite no homes being damaged, the thick plume of yellowish smoke prompted the evacuation of residents from two nearby villages. No cause for the fire has been determined yet.