Belgium’s biggest wildfire on record heads towards Germany
Firefighters worked through the night to battle Belgium's biggest wildfire on record
Belgium faced its largest wildfire on record, spreading across 3,000 hectares of land near the High Fens nature reserve in the east of the country. The devastating blaze, which started on Friday, has now moved closer to the German border, according to local authorities. Responders, including firefighters from Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, have been working tirelessly to contain the fire.
On Sunday, the focus was on the front line of the fire as cooler, more humid weather was expected to aid efforts. Stephanie Ernoux, spokesperson for Belgium's Wallonia region, expressed optimism about the situation. The fire is more than double the size of a 2011 blaze that affected 1,400 hectares. German officials stated that while they expect no smoke pollution to spread into their territory, residents near the border were advised to evacuate due to significant smoke levels.
EU forces deployed three helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft in response to Belgium's request for emergency reinforcements. The defensive line protecting evacuated villages remained strong Sunday, but evacuees were not allowed to return to their homes yet. The wildfire began amid a scorching heatwave that gripped several European nations, with scientists attributing the increased risk of such fires to climate change.
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