Belgium's worst wildfire in history rages through nature reserve

A massive wildfire is raging through Belgium's High Fens, the country's largest nature reserve, in what officials are calling the nation's worst blaze in recent history. The fire, which ignited on Friday, has already consumed a third of the protected area and is threatening to spread to nearby villages.

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There is a risk that the fire could reach homes, but we are deploying all available resources to protect them.

Residents of two villages have been ordered to evacuate as a precautionary measure, with local authorities warning that the flames could reach homes. Firefighters are working tirelessly to contain the inferno, but they face significant challenges due to the park's difficult terrain, which includes bog-like areas, moorland, and forests. In some sections, firefighters have allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is too inaccessible to fight directly.

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Firefighters had 'allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is very difficult to access.'

International aid has been mobilized to support the Belgian efforts. Water-bombing aircraft and helicopters have been dispatched from across Europe, including two Swedish water-bombing aircraft and helicopters from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, activated through the European Union's civil protection mechanism. Despite these efforts, a spokesperson for the regional authorities in Wallonia, Nicolas Yernaux, stated on Saturday afternoon that the fire remained out of control.

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We managed to calm the fire coming from the plain, to prevent it from spreading into the fir forest. We still succeeded in our mission, but it's not over yet.

The situation in Belgium mirrors other severe wildfires across Europe, fueled by a summer of extreme heat. Forest fires have also been reported in France, Croatia, Spain, and Serbia. Western Europe recently experienced its hottest June-to-July period on record, according to the EU's climate monitoring service, Copernicus, exacerbating the risk and intensity of these devastating blazes.

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The flames are coming towards us, the wind has shifted twice, once in our favour, once against us.