Belgium: Decisive day to definitively encircle historic wildfire

Belgian firefighters are engaged in a critical operation to fully encircle a massive wildfire that has been raging since Friday. Tuesday is considered a decisive day for efforts to contain the blaze, which has already consumed approximately 3,000 hectares of a natural park near the German border.

"The objective for today is truly to make this connection between the northern and eastern defense line, and to definitively encircle the fire," explained Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Walloon region's authorities, to AFP.

Firefighters worked through Monday night to establish the crucial link between the eastern and northern fronts of the fire. These efforts were hampered by extremely difficult access conditions in the affected terrain. The connection point is estimated to be only one to two kilometers long, but the challenging environment makes progress slow.

The scale of the fire has prompted Belgium to seek international aerial support, highlighting the severity of the situation. The ongoing efforts underscore the significant challenge faced by emergency services in controlling such a large and persistent wildfire.

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The objective for today is truly to make this connection between the northern and eastern defense line, and to definitively encircle the fire