A severe wildfire in Belgium's High Fens nature reserve has surged to approximately 3,000 hectares, marking the largest blaze in the nation's recorded history. The fire, which began two days ago, more than doubled in size within a 24-hour period. The reserve's unique landscape, characterized by extensive peatlands and pine forests, has been left highly susceptible to fire due to prolonged hot and dry weather conditions. By Saturday night, the Wallonia region had deployed over 250 firefighters and emergency personnel to the scene.
International support has been critical to the containment efforts. Belgium's unified defence force is providing personnel and vehicles, while neighboring Germany and Luxembourg have sent additional firefighting teams. Local farmers are also actively assisting on the ground. Furthermore, Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Saturday, facilitating the arrival of three helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft from the Netherlands, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. In Liège province, authorities requested the evacuation of about 600 residents, with a rest shelter established in a gymnasium in the neighboring municipality of Malmedy.
Across the border in Germany, firefighters made significant progress in the Hürtgen forest. Approximately 2,000 residents of the village of Gey, who were evacuated on Friday, were permitted to return to their homes on Saturday evening, according to the German news agency dpa. In France, officials reported no major overnight flare-ups in the southwestern Landes region, where 550 firefighters, supported by military personnel and six water-bombing aircraft, are battling to control flames that have scorched over 1,700 hectares of pine forest since Thursday. Meanwhile, in the French Ardennes region, a 100-hectare fire is showing signs of improvement, though local officials described the situation as unprecedented in recent history.
Elsewhere in Europe, the firefighting efforts remain intense. In Spain's Aragon region, authorities have deployed their largest firefighting arsenal to date to protect a 1,000-year-old monastery. The fire in the Huesca municipality of Las Peñas de Riglos has spread to cover 16,600 hectares, with windy conditions complicating containment. In Croatia, four individuals have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires along the coast, where drought and high temperatures have fueled destruction in pine forests and olive groves. Additionally, fire crews in Greece are in their second day of operations on the island of Skyros, where the local mayor expressed optimism that the forest fire would be fully extinguished within 24 hours.
