Massive wildfire burns 30 square kilometers in Belgium, forces 600 to evacuate

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BAELEN, Belgium — Firefighters battled a massive wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday that has burned about 30 square kilometers in the High Fens nature reserve, forcing around 600 residents to evacuate in one of the country’s worst wildfires in recent history.

Residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were ordered to evacuate Saturday as shifting winds pushed smoke across the area. Tourists were also advised to leave, while a nearby gymnasium was opened to receive evacuees.

Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said more than 250 emergency personnel had been deployed, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, as well as police, military officers and civil protection personnel.

Firefighting helicopters from Belgium and the Netherlands were also deployed as crews struggled to contain flames spreading through difficult terrain.

René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forest, said the fire was still advancing Sunday, particularly along its eastern flank.

“On the eastern flank, there’s a line at least a kilometer long where the fire is slowly advancing toward a municipal forest,” Dahmen said. “That’s the first priority now; we deployed resources last night, and the firefighters are ready, in case it gets too close.”

“The situation is extremely difficult,” he added. “We need helicopter support.”

Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, although the fire remained close to residential areas and heavy smoke persisted. Residents were urged to stay away from the affected zone to avoid obstructing emergency operations.

European countries send firefighting aircraft

Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to secure additional assistance from other countries.

“The High Fens are burning. Belgium is not facing it alone,” EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said.

Sweden sent two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters — two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic — were also being deployed.

The blaze follows weeks of unusually hot and dry weather, with the High Fens’ combination of heathland and peat bogs making firefighting operations particularly difficult.

Temperatures reached around 37 C in parts of Belgium on Friday.

The fire has already surpassed a 2011 blaze that burned nearly 14 square kilometers in the same area and had previously been considered Belgium’s largest wildfire on record, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System.

Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, said exceptionally dry soil had worsened conditions.

“We’re dealing with something much deeper because we have very dry soil,” he said.

Across the border in Germany, authorities in Monschau said the wildfire had advanced to within about 1.5 kilometers of the border. While the flames were not expected to cross into Germany, smoke was forecast to spread into the area.

Elsewhere in Germany, firefighters made progress against a blaze in the Hürtgen forest that forced around 2,000 residents of the village of Gey to evacuate Friday. Residents were allowed to return Saturday evening.

Wildfires hit France and the UK

The Belgium fire comes as several European countries struggle with wildfires fueled by extreme heat and prolonged dry conditions.

In southwestern France, firefighters continued battling a wildfire in the Landes region that has burned about 17 square kilometers and forced around 650 people from their homes.

In the UK, emergency crews were fighting 14 wildfires in South Wales with support from military personnel. Officials warned that despite easing temperatures, persistent drought conditions continued to pose a significant wildfire risk.

More than a dozen homes were also gutted by fires in England’s West Midlands this week as the country experienced its hottest day of the year Thursday, with temperatures reaching 38.1 C.