Firefighters are battling Belgium’s largest wildfire on record as flames spread through the High Fens nature reserve in Liège province, close to the German border.
The fire, which started on Friday, has already burned more than 27 square kilometres (10.4 square miles) and is spreading eastward toward Germany.
More than 250 emergency personnel from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have been deployed to contain the blaze. Firefighters are concentrating on stopping the advancing fire front and preventing it from crossing into Germany.
Hundreds evacuated
About 600 residents in the Belgian border municipalities of Waimes and Butgenbach were evacuated on Saturday after changing winds caused the fire and smoke to spread.
Authorities said no homes had been damaged as of Sunday morning but urged residents and the public to stay away from the affected area.
Across the border, officials in the German town of Monschau said the fire was approximately 3 kilometres from the border. Although they did not expect the flames to cross into Germany, residents in three districts were temporarily advised to leave because of heavy smoke.
Heat and dry conditions fuel blaze
The wildfire follows weeks of unusually dry weather and another period of extreme heat across Europe. Temperatures in parts of Belgium reached about 37°C on Friday, after weeks of limited rainfall.
The current blaze has already surpassed Belgium’s previous wildfire record. In 2011, a fire in the same High Fens reserve burned approximately 14 square kilometres.
The wider European region has also experienced a severe wildfire season, with fires forcing thousands of people from their homes in countries including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Croatia and Greece.
About 500,000 hectares of land have reportedly burned across the European Union this year, highlighting the growing impact of extreme heat and prolonged dry conditions.
