Belgium authorities were awaiting crucial air support Sunday to help battle the largest wildfire in the country’s modern history, which has been ablaze since Friday.
More than 250 firefighters and emergency personnel worked through the night in the High Fens nature reserve near the German border to stop the spread of the wildfire, which has scorched 3,000 hectares.
Firefighters said they are relying heavily on aircraft Sunday to bring the blaze under control, with reinforcements arriving from several European countries.
Belgian federal police helicopters and Dutch aircraft were already operating Sunday morning, repeatedly collecting water from a nearby lake. Additional helicopters from the Czech Republic and Sweden were expected to join later in the day after Belgium activated the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. Germany and Norway could also provide aerial support, European Commissioner for preparedness and crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, told AFP.
“Thank you to our European partners for the assistance they are providing,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on X.
Europe has been battling wildfires throughout a summer marked by repeated heatwaves and drought, with blazes forcing thousands to evacuate in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Firefighters in France on Sunday continued battling several wildfires, including one that was nearing the Belgian border.
Belgium’s wildfires are tearing through fragile peatlands and pine forests in the High Fens, which were devastated by wildfires during a similar period of heat and drought in 1911. It is Belgium’s largest wildfire since then. No homes have been damaged so far, but residents of two villages have been evacuated and authorities say the fire remains out of control.