Belgian Firefighters Push to Contain High Fens Wildfire
About 500 firefighters and emergency crews are battling the country’s largest wildfire in over a century, with aerial support repeatedly hampered by weather.
- On Tuesday, Belgian firefighters launched a decisive push to encircle the massive wildfire burning in the High Fens nature reserve, despite unfavorable weather hampering air support operations.
- Like much of Europe, Belgium experienced intense heat and drought last week, creating conditions for the wildfire to grow since Friday to 3,000 hectares, the country's largest blaze since 1911.
- Over 500 firefighters and emergency crews battle the blaze with local farmers from Waremme using tractors to transport water from a nearby lake. King Philippe visited Monday to acknowledge the Herculean effort.
- Regional government spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux confirmed the fire is "under control and contained" in accessible areas, though a hard-to-access front toward the German border remains a concern with Monschau residents under evacuation orders.
- Firefighting chief Philipp Krueger warned crews face "strong winds" and a challenging "new situation" on Tuesday, while Interior Minister Bernard Quintin noted recovery could take "several weeks" even once the fire is controlled.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Belgium wildfire: Rains help High Fens containment efforts
Firefighters continue to battle one of the worst wildfires in Belgian history near the German border. Rains and cooler temperatures are helping them bring it to heel after it ravaged an area half the size of Manhattan.
Algemeen Dagblad
destentor.nlAccording to the emergency services, extinguishing the fire in the Belgian nature reserve of the High Fens could take weeks. How was the fire able to spread so quickly, and why is the extinguishing taking so long? And how will nature in the area recover? "Recovery could take centuries."
Tuesday's day is decisive for the Belgian firefighters, who have been fighting for a historic fire since Friday. They are trying to permanently encircle the fire, which has already covered 3000 hectaresThe firefighters, who have been fighting since Friday in Belgium against a historic fire in the east of the country, are trying on Tuesday to permanently encircle this fire, which has already ravaged some 3000 hectares of a natural park close to G…
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