In brief
A violent wildfire has burned through a third of Belgium’s largest nature reserve, the High Fens, turning the landscape into smoke and ash. Residents of two villages were evacuated, and a gymnasium was opened for shelter while the fire threatened nearby homes. Firefighters have called the blaze the country’s largest in recent history, battling winds that shift from favorable to hostile.
Firefighters battle wildfire tearing through Belgian nature reserve
Firefighters have fought a raging blaze that has scorched a third of the High Fens, Belgium’s colossal nature reserve near the German border, since Friday evening. The fire’s fury has forced the evacuation of residents in two adjacent villages and left a gym in nearby town open as a temporary shelter.
The blaze has been described by regional officials as Belgium’s largest wildfire in recent history. Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for Walloon authorities, warned that the flames could reach domestic houses, yet all available military and civilian resources have been deployed to protect them.
Weather conditions and the reserve’s difficult terrain — bog, moorland and dense forests — have hindered firefighting efforts. This has forced firefighters to allow certain heathland pockets to burn, as Yernaux explained.
Gregory Melotte, a volunteer firefighter, told a local broadcaster that they succeeded in calming the fire that originated on the plain before it could spread into fir forest. However, he noted that the winds have swung twice, once favoring the fire and once opposing it.
The situation prompted the European Union to trigger its civil protection mechanism, bringing in resources from across the continent. Swedish and Czech aircraft, as well as Dutch helicopters, are currently dispatched to mothering the blaze.
While the High Fens fire continues unabated, fires elsewhere across Europe have also gathered pace. In the Landes region of south‑western France, more than 650 residents have been forced to leave their homes after a new fire ignited earlier this week.
Over the past week, forests in Croatia, Spain and Serbia have experienced significant fire incidents, a response to an unusually hot June‑July period that has set new temperature records for Western Europe.
The European Union’s climate monitoring service confirmed that the region recorded its hottest June‑July period on record, largely fueling the widespread wildfires.
