Belgium Battles 3,000-Hectare High Fens Blaze as Rain Aids 500 Firefighters
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Aug 17
Belgium Battles 3,000-Hectare High Fens Blaze as Rain Aids 500 Firefighters
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Aug 17
Summary
3,000 hectares have burned in Belgium's High Fens park since Friday, making the border-area wildfire the country's largest in modern history as 500 firefighters and troops remain on the line.
5 to 9 millimeters of rain forecast for Monday began helping containment efforts, while Germany said it would send two military water-bombing helicopters to the region.
30 residents of Germany's Monschau were ordered out Sunday as the fire threatened to cross the border, though that immediate danger has since receded; smoke has drifted into Germany and France.
576,000 hectares have already burned across Europe this year after weeks of heat and drought, putting 2026 on track to challenge last year's record season of more than 1 million hectares.