Massive Wildfire in Eastern Belgium Forces Evacuations
BAREN, Belgium (AP) – Firefighters were actively battling a large wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday, marking one of the country’s most destructive wildfires in recent years. The blaze has consumed more than 27 square kilometers (10 square miles) within the expansive High Fens nature reserve.
On Saturday, around 600 residents from nearby municipalities, Wymes and Bütgenbach in canton Liege, close to the German border, were ordered to evacuate as shifting winds dispersed smoke across the area. Authorities also cautioned tourists to leave the vicinity, and a local gymnasium was opened to shelter evacuees.
Liège Governor Hervé Jamal mentioned on Sunday that over 250 emergency personnel were engaged, including more than 100 firefighters from both Belgium and Germany, alongside police, military, and civil protection units. The Belgian Federal Police and Dutch-operated firefighting helicopters provided additional support.
As of Sunday morning, officials reported no residential structures had been damaged, but the fire lingered near inhabited areas, generating heavy smoke. They urged the public to avoid the fire zone, warning that unnecessary traffic could hinder emergency responses and complicate firefighting operations.
Haja Rabib, the European Commission commissioner focusing on crisis management, indicated that Belgium had activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to request assistance from other nations. She remarked on social media, “The Hyvens are on fire. Belgium is not facing this problem alone.” In response, Sweden supplied two water bombers, and three helicopters were dispatched: two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic.
The wildfire emerged after a period of exceptionally hot and dry weather. The High Fens features a combination of heathland and peat bogs, which complicates firefighting efforts.
This fire is being noted as Belgium’s largest on record, significantly exceeding the 2011 wildfire that affected around 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) in the same region, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Authorities in the nearby German town of Monschau issued warnings overnight, noting that the fire was approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the border and kept firefighters on high alert. Early on Sunday, the town’s website advised residents in three remote areas near the border to temporarily evacuate, citing health risks associated with the smoke.
This week, Belgium is experiencing another heat wave, with temperatures reported around 37C (98.6F) in several areas on Friday.
In France, firefighters tackling a wildfire in a pine forest in southwestern Landes did not encounter a significant flare-up overnight, according to Landes governor Gilles Claveleurs. Officials estimated that around 17 square kilometers (6.6 square miles) had burned, necessitating the evacuation of about 650 people from their homes.
Claverule stated that the situation was improving, saying, “Things are progressing pretty well,” during a press briefing on Sunday. This marks the third significant wildfire this summer in the vast pine forests of southwestern France, following two incidents in late July. A particularly massive wildfire in the neighboring Gironde department has consumed approximately 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), extending to the Atlantic coast and affecting the Bordeaux region, which led to the evacuation of about 220,000 individuals.
