Firefighters push to 'encircle' Belgian wildfire
Firefighters launched a potentially decisive push Tuesday to encircle Belgium’s largest wildfire in a century, despite wind and rain hampering air support operations over the High Fens nature reserve. The blaze charring the vast expanse of boggy peatlands, pine trees and hiking trails grew over the weekend to 7,500 acres with hundreds of firefighters working night and day to wrestle it under…
Belgian firefighters made a critical push on Tuesday to encircle the country's largest wildfire in a century, as the blaze burned across peatlands, pine trees and hiking trails in the High Fens nature reserve. Despite challenging wind and rain conditions that have hampered aerial support operations, hundreds of firefighters worked tirelessly day and night to bring the 7,500-acre inferno under control.
Regional government spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux confirmed that the fire was "under control and contained" in areas where efforts were concentrated, while declaring the German border front a concern due to its inaccessibility. Water-bombing aircraft from multiple nations, including Norway, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have been deployed, but weather conditions have repeatedly grounded them.
Smoke plumes reached as far as eastern France, prompting air pollution alerts and triggering evacuations in Belgian villages. While the full extent of the fire's impact remains uncertain, local farmers have been instrumental in providing water support, working around the clock to douse the flames. The High Fens area had previously faced major fires in 1911, making this the nation's largest wildfire since that period.
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