Rain helped contain a large-scale fire in Belgium
Firefighters in Belgium are trying to contain and localize the country’s largest wildfire in a century, which has engulfed the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve near the border with Germany. According to Deutsche Welle English, by Monday the fire had spread across approximately 3,000 hectares.
On Tuesday, rain and cooler temperatures partially eased the firefighting efforts. At the same time, the rain and wind made it difficult to use planes and helicopters to drop water. The nature reserve consists of peat bogs, pine forests, and hiking trails, and some areas are difficult to reach with heavy equipment.
Regional government spokesperson Nioolas Yerno told AFP that firefighters are working to fully contain the fire. They worked through the night to connect the eastern and northern fronts of the blaze. According to him, only one or two kilometers remained to be covered, and in the areas accessible to firefighters, the fire had already been brought under control.
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The most challenging section remains the hard-to-reach area stretching toward the German border and the town of Monschau. The fire is located approximately 2.3 kilometers from the border. Monchau residents were previously asked to leave their homes due to smoke; firefighters and civil emergency services are on standby in the city.
Tobias Schnell, a representative of the Monschau Fire Department, told the dpa news agency that the situation is currently under control, but stronger winds could drive the flames toward the town. Water tanks and other equipment have already been deployed along the fire’s potential path. About 170 people are working in shifts around the clock, and local authorities estimate that the operation will last at least a few more days.
Smoke has spread dozens of kilometers to the east. In Cologne and Wuppertal, residents were warned of the risk of deteriorating air quality due to smoke. Residents of the village of Surbrodt, who were evacuated over the weekend, began returning home on Monday evening. Meanwhile, in the municipality of Büttgenbach, two villages remain evacuated, and in the municipality of Wemes, residents have been urged to limit travel through the affected area. Part of the nature reserve has been closed to tourists.
