Belgian Wildfire Doubles in Size, Tearing Through Nature Reserve
A wildfire in Belgium's Hautes Fagnes nature reserve has more than doubled in size, prompting the evacuation of two nearby villages and the deployment of hundreds of firefighters.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a massive wildfire in Belgium's Hautes Fagnes nature reserve, which has more than doubled in size over the past 24 hours.
The fire, described as the largest in Belgium's recent history, has been tearing through the country's largest nature reserve, prompting the evacuation of two nearby villages.
Local farmers have been hauling water tankers towards the park, backed by water-bombing aircraft and helicopters sent from Sweden and the Netherlands.
The blaze is one of several wildfires reported across Europe this weekend, with at least two killed in forest fires on a Greek island off the coast of Athens on Sunday.
Belgian officials have warned that high heat and the park's terrain, which consists of bog-like territory, moorland, and forests, have hampered efforts to extinguish the fire.
The fire spread from 80 hectares (200 acres) on Friday to 850 hectares on Saturday morning, before consuming 3,000 hectares by early Sunday, according to AFP news agency citing local officials.
| Hectares | Date | | --- | --- | | 80 | Friday | | 850 | Saturday morning | | 3,000 | Early Sunday |
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said two of its fronts, heading towards Jalhay and Monschau, had been brought under control.
However, the blaze continued to advance on Sunday, with its active front reported to be a kilometre long.
Authorities have stated that the conditions remain challenging and that they are relying heavily on aerial assistance to tame the flames, though no homes have been affected.
Two water-bombing aircraft arrived from Sweden on Sunday afternoon to back up four helicopters, two Belgian and two Dutch, already on site.
Nicolas Yernaux, spokesman for the regional authorities in Wallonia, had said on Saturday that the fire was the country's "largest in recent history".
Firefighters had "allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is very difficult to access", he added.
Rescue teams have been unable to access the area where the fire broke out, meaning its cause remains unknown.
Forest fires have also been reported in Croatia, Spain, and Serbia since Friday, after a summer of extreme heat that has seen swathes of land across Europe either going up in flames or being scorched brown.
Local officials in Landes, south-western France, said a wildfire had triggered the evacuation of 650 residents on Saturday.
The fire began on Thursday and, according to authorities, reignited on Saturday, with more than 500 firefighters deployed to tackle the blaze.
The EU's climate monitoring service, Copernicus, has confirmed that western Europe experienced its hottest June-to-July period on record.
The situation remains challenging, and authorities are relying on aerial assistance to bring the fire under control.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and rescue teams have been unable to access the area where it broke out.
The situation is being closely monitored, and authorities are working to bring the fire under control.
