Belgian Wildfire Rages On, Prompting Hundreds To Evacuate As Firefighters Battle Flames

Firefighters battled a massive wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday after flames spread across about 30 square kilometres of the High Fens nature reserve, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate as shifting winds pushed smoke towards populated areas. About 600 residents in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were ordered to leave their homes on Saturday. Authorities also advised tourists to stay away from the affected region, while a nearby gymnasium was opened to accommodate people displaced by the evacuation.

Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said more than 250 emergency personnel had been deployed to fight the blaze. The response included more than 100 Belgian and German firefighters, along with police officers, military personnel and civil protection teams. Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium's federal police and the Netherlands were also assisting crews on the ground. René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forest, said the fire continued to spread in difficult terrain on Sunday.

He identified the eastern flank as the immediate priority, with a line of fire extending for at least a kilometre and slowly advancing towards a municipal forest. “The situation is extremely difficult,” Dahmen said, stressing the need for continued helicopter support. Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, although the fire remained dangerously close to residential areas and thick smoke continued to blanket parts of the region. Residents and visitors were urged to remain away from the fire zone because unnecessary traffic could block emergency vehicles and make firefighting operations more difficult.

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Belgium has also sought international assistance through the European Union's civil protection mechanism. EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said Belgium was receiving support from other European countries as the fire continued to threaten the High Fens. Sweden sent two water-bombing aircraft, while the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were deploying three helicopters between them. The High Fens, a large nature reserve close to Belgium's border with Germany, contains extensive heathland and peat bogs.

The landscape has made the operation particularly challenging for firefighters, with some areas difficult for ground crews to access. The dry vegetation and terrain have contributed to concerns that the fire could continue spreading. The blaze comes after weeks of unusually hot and dry weather across the region. Belgium experienced another period of intense heat this week, with temperatures reaching around 37 degrees Celsius in parts of the country on Friday. The prolonged dry conditions have increased the risk of wildfires and complicated efforts to contain the flames.

The scale of the blaze has made it one of Belgium's most serious wildfires in recent history. Emergency teams continued to monitor the fire's movement closely, particularly near residential areas and forests, while aircraft were being used to support ground crews and slow the advance of the flames. Authorities have prioritised preventing the fire from reaching populated areas while working to establish control over the affected sections of the nature reserve. With international firefighting support arriving and more than 250 emergency personnel involved, operations were continuing Sunday as officials warned that the situation remained difficult and potentially dangerous.

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