Fast-growing Belgium wildfire burns at least 1,600 hectares

Belgian firefighters backed by water bombers and helicopters were battling a rapidly spreading wildfire Saturday at a natural park near the German border that ravaged at least 16 square kilometres (six square miles) in 24 hours.

Reinforcements have been called in from across the country to help tackle the blaze at the Hautes Fagnes park, in the country’s far east, with aerial support coming in from European partners under the EU’s civil protection mechanism.

The blaze, already one of the largest in Belgium’s history, remains uncontrolled according to Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the regional authorities in Wallonia told AFP.

The nearby village of Sourbrodt, with about 500 residents, was under threat of evacuation after the fire, which broke out on Friday, ballooning in size overnight.

“It is under consideration because of the smoke, but no final decision has been taken yet,” Yernaux said.

“There is a risk that the fire could reach homes, but we are deploying all available resources to protect them,” he added.

The municipal Facebook page advised residents to prepare for a possible evacuation — packing essential belongings, keeping doors and windows closed because of smoke, and remaining alert to official updates.

In Eupen, a municipality close to the fire, the sky was gradually turning yellow, with columns of smoke visible in the distance, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

“The situation is complicated and highly dependent on aerial resources,” Yernaux said.

Operations were being made harder by the fens’ terrain — a patchwork of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks.

Firefighters had “pulled back to the edge of the forest and allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is very difficult to access,” Yernaux said.

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Belgium swiftly activated the European Union mechanism allowing it to request personnel and equipment from across the continent.

European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who oversees the mechanism, announced that two Swedish water-bombing aircraft and two helicopters, one from the Czech Republic and one from the Netherlands, were on their way to assist firefighting efforts.

“The High Fens are burning. Belgium is not facing this alone,” she wrote on X.

Three next-generation Belgian fire engines have also been deployed, Defence Minister Theo Francken said.

 Farmers offer help

On social media, numerous farmers posted photographs of themselves heading to the fire zone to support emergency crews.

Liege provincial governor Herve Jamar said authorities had been flooded with offers of help — from catering to support on the ground.

“We once again want to sincerely thank everyone who is mobilising and showing their solidarity,” Jamar wrote on Facebook — while urging people to leave fire department phone lines open for dealing emergencies.

Like much of Europe, Belgium has experienced a fresh spell of intense heat in recent days, with temperatures reaching as high as 37 degrees Celsius in parts of the country on Friday.

The wildfire is located only a few dozen kilometres from another major blaze in western Germany, which has already forced the evacuation of about 1,800 people, with flames advancing close to the first homes in the town of Hurtgenwald.