A large forest fire in the Belgian Hohes Venn nature reserve continues to spread near the German border. According to the latest data from the authorities in the province of Liège, the fire has already affected around 2,700 hectares, making it the largest fire ever recorded in Belgium.
Belgium has requested international assistance through the European Union's civil protection mechanism. Three helicopters and two firefighting aircraft were involved in the extinguishing, sent to support local teams.
The most serious concern was the movement of the fire front towards the German city of Monschau in North Rhine-Westphalia. On Saturday, authorities warned about 5,000 residents in the Kalterherberg and Mützenich districts to be prepared for evacuation. In some places, people were advised to temporarily leave their homes due to dangerous smoke.
In Belgium, residents of settlements close to the border, including Küchelscheid and Leikaul, have already been evacuated.
The Monschau fire department has begun preventive wetting of agricultural areas near the border to limit the possible spread of the fire to Germany. Units of the German Federal Technical Assistance Service have also been involved in the operation.
Europe is battling a series of large-scale fires
The fire in Belgium is developing against the backdrop of a prolonged heat wave and a serious fire danger in several parts of Europe.
In Germany alone, in the nearby Hürtgenwald, another large fire has burned over 300 hectares and forced over 2,000 people from the village of Gai to temporarily leave their homes. As of Saturday, German authorities reported that this fire had stabilized.
However, the situation in Belgium remains more serious. With around 2,700 hectares affected, the fire in the “High Fens“ has already reached historic proportions and continues to pose a serious risk to both the protected natural area and the settlements on both sides of the Belgian-German border.