A massive wildfire in eastern Belgium's High Fens nature reserve has burned more than 27 square kilometers, forcing residents to evacuate in what media describe as one of the worst wildfires in the country's recent history, reports infohub.kz.
Firefighters battled the blaze on Sunday. The fire has scorched over 27 square kilometers. About 600 residents in the municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were told to evacuate on Saturday as winds shifted and smoke spread. Authorities also advised tourists to leave, and a nearby gymnasium was opened to receive evacuees.
Liège provincial Governor Hervé Jamar said in a statement on Sunday that more than 250 emergency personnel have been deployed, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, police and military officers, and civil protection staff. They are being assisted by firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium's federal police and the Netherlands.
Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, though the fire remained close to residential areas and heavy smoke persisted. They urged people to stay away from the fire zone, warning that unnecessary traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles and complicate firefighting operations.
The fire follows weeks of unusually hot and dry weather. The High Fens' mix of heathland and peat bogs has complicated efforts to contain the flames.
In the nearby German town of Monschau, local authorities warned overnight that the fire was about 3 kilometers from the border and said firefighters were on alert. On Sunday morning, the town website recommended that people in three outlying districts near the border leave the area temporarily because of potential health risks from smoke.
Belgium was hit by another spell of intense heat this week, with temperatures reaching about 37°C (98.6°F) in parts of the country on Friday.