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Firefighters Push to Encircle Belgium's Largest Wildfire in a Century
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Disasters & Emergencies

Firefighters Push to Encircle Belgium's Largest Wildfire in a Century

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Firefighters are making a final push to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, which has burned 3,000 hectares in the High Fens nature reserve.
  • Wind and rain are hampering air support, but ground crews are working to contain the blaze, especially a section near the German border.
  • The fire, fueled by dry conditions and a hot summer, could take weeks to fully extinguish, with aerial support repeatedly grounded by weather.

Firefighters launched a critical operation Tuesday to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, battling challenging winds and rain that have hampered aerial support over the High Fens nature reserve. The blaze has consumed 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres) of peatlands and pine forests.

We are trying to definitively encircle the fire today.

— Nicolas YernauxA regional government spokesperson describes the efforts to contain the wildfire.

Officials are attempting to definitively contain the fire, with some areas already under control. However, a difficult-to-access section near the German border remains a concern, prompting evacuations in the nearby town of Monschau due to smoke. Firefighters worked through the night to connect crucial fire lines, despite sustained winds blowing toward the German border.

We're talking about one or two kilometers, and we're on the verge of achieving it.

— Nicolas YernauxYernaux discusses the progress in connecting fire lines despite difficult conditions.

Water-bombing aircraft from Norway, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have been deployed, but low cloud cover and rain have repeatedly grounded them. Nicolas Yernaux, a regional government spokesperson, stated that opportunities for aerial support might be limited to brief windows. A thick plume of yellowish smoke has blanketed the region, with fumes detected as far as eastern France, leading to air pollution alerts.

There may be windows of opportunity this morning, but it may not be before tonight.

— Nicolas YernauxYernaux explains the uncertainty of aerial support due to weather conditions.

Europe has experienced weeks of devastating wildfires, exacerbated by dry conditions and a historically hot summer. The High Fens fire, which broke out in an area previously affected by major fires in 1911, is the country's largest since. Belgium's interior minister warned that fully extinguishing the fire and preventing reignition could take "several weeks."

several weeks

— Bernard QuintinBelgium's interior minister estimates the time needed to fully extinguish the fire.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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