Belgian Firefighters Push to Contain High Fens Wildfire
Hundreds of firefighters and foreign aircraft are battling the blaze, while officials warn it could take weeks to fully douse the underground peat fire.
- 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.
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51 Articles
The 500 firefighters mobilized have managed to make the junction between the north and east fronts of the fire, while the peculiarities of the land favour fire cover. 3,000 hectares of the natural park have already burned.
The large wildfire in the Belgian High Fens has been contained after five days, but is not yet under control. The situation remains fragile, as the fire flared up again in several places. Approximately 3,000 hectares of nature reserve have burned in the blaze, which has been raging since Friday. In the municipality of Bütgenbach in eastern Belgium, close to the German border, two hamlets remain evacuated. Parts of the town of Monschau on the Ge…
The goal now is to control the fire "if possible with air support", reported Wednesday the spokesman of the crisis cell, Tony Hosmans.
Firefighters have managed to contain the largest forest fire of the century in Belgium, although the persistence of fires in peatlands and weather conditions complicate operations
The fire that broke out on Friday has scorched thousands of hectares.
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