BRUSSELS — Belgium’s largest wildfire on record has burned approximately 3,000 hectares in the High Fens nature reserve and is advancing toward the country’s border with Germany.
Firefighters from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg are working alongside military personnel, farmers and European aircraft. Authorities said a defensive line around evacuated villages was holding, but residents were not yet permitted to return.
Germany’s border town of Monschau advised some residents to leave because of heavy smoke, although officials did not expect the flames to cross immediately into German territory.
The Belgian fire is part of a wider European emergency. Two people died on the Greek island of Salamina, while a fire in Spain’s Aragon region burned approximately 16,600 hectares.
Why it matters: Repeated heatwaves and prolonged drought have left vegetation dangerously dry across Europe. Simultaneous fires are stretching aircraft, emergency personnel and water supplies.
