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Residents evacuate as Belgium wildfire scorches 1,600 hectares
🇸🇬 Singapore /Disasters & Emergencies

Residents evacuate as Belgium wildfire scorches 1,600 hectares

From CNA · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Residents are evacuating two villages in eastern Belgium as firefighters battle a large wildfire.
  • The blaze, which began Friday in the High Fens natural park, has scorched at least 16 square kilometers.
  • European reinforcements, including water bombers and helicopters, are assisting Belgian crews in fighting the uncontrolled fire.

Residents in eastern Belgium began evacuating villages on Saturday as firefighters, bolstered by international support, battled one of the country's largest wildfires. The blaze erupted Friday in the High Fens natural park, a popular hiking area near the German border, and rapidly expanded.

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

— Nicolas YernauxNicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the regional authorities in Wallonia, described the efforts to protect homes from the encroaching wildfire.

By Saturday afternoon, the fire had consumed at least 16 square kilometers (six square miles) of woodland and heathland, according to regional authorities. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of the villages of Sourbrodt and Buetgenbach around 4:00 PM local time, with other residents advised to stay indoors and close windows and doors. A nearby gymnasium has been opened to shelter evacuees.

Officials described the fire as the "largest in recent history" for Belgium and acknowledged the risk of it reaching homes, stating all available resources are being deployed for protection. Reinforcements from across Belgium and Europe, including two Swedish water-bombing aircraft and helicopters from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, have joined the effort. The European Union's civil protection mechanism was activated to facilitate this assistance.

When you see how things looked this morning and how they are now, you can only be shocked. But at the same time, we're grateful for the work that has been done. You can see the farmers out here driving around and continuing to wet down the area. It's impressive, very impressive.

— Bernard QuintinInterior Minister Bernard Quintin shared his reaction to the scale of destruction and the community's efforts to combat the wildfire.

Firefighting operations are complicated by the difficult terrain of the fens, characterized by heath, peat bogs, and boardwalks. In some areas, firefighters have allowed parts of the heathland to burn due to accessibility challenges. The wildfire has forced businesses to evacuate and left residents stunned by the destruction, with one local restaurant owner calling it a "catastrophe."

Firefighters had "pulled back to the edge of the forest and allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is very difficult to access."

— Nicolas YernauxNicolas Yernaux explained the tactical challenges faced by firefighters due to the difficult terrain in the High Fens.

Farmers have also offered support, with many seen driving around the fire zone to help wet down the area, an effort described as "impressive" by the Interior Minister. The situation remains highly dependent on aerial resources, and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

The situation is complicated and highly dependent on aerial resources.

— Nicolas YernauxNicolas Yernaux highlighted the critical role of aerial support in managing the complex wildfire situation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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