Belgium Battles Its Biggest Wildfire on Record

Belgium is battling the biggest wildfire ever recorded in the country after a huge fire swept through the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium. The fire began on Friday, 14 August, following days of extremely hot and dry weather. By Saturday afternoon, around 1,600 hectares of land had already burned, but the fire continued spreading over the weekend. By Monday, the affected area had grown to around 3,000 hectares — more than twice the size of Belgium’s previous largest recorded wildfire in 2011.

The High Fens is Belgium’s largest nature reserve and lies close to the country’s border with Germany. It is normally an area of forests, open heathland, wetlands and peat bogs, and is popular with hikers and tourists. But as the wildfire spread across the reserve, thick smoke rose into the sky and authorities became increasingly worried that nearby communities could be in danger.

Residents in several nearby areas were ordered to leave their homes as changing winds pushed smoke towards populated areas. Tourists were also told to leave, while a children’s summer camp was evacuated for safety. Some people living nearby were told to remain indoors and keep their windows and doors closed because breathing in large amounts of wildfire smoke can be harmful. The effects were even felt across the border in Germany, where some residents close to the Belgian border were also evacuated because of concerns about smoke.

Hundreds of firefighters have been working to bring the enormous fire under control. They have been joined by Belgian soldiers and local farmers, while emergency teams from neighbouring countries have also provided help. Belgium asked the European Union for emergency assistance, and helicopters and special water-bombing aircraft were sent from other European countries. These aircraft can fly over burning areas and release large amounts of water from above, helping firefighters reach places that may be difficult or dangerous to reach from the ground.

One reason the fire has been so difficult to stop is the landscape of the High Fens. Parts of the nature reserve contain peat, which is made from layers of partly decayed plants that have built up in wet ground over thousands of years. When peat becomes unusually dry, it can catch fire and smoulder underground. This means a fire can sometimes continue burning beneath the surface even when there are few flames visible above ground.

Belgium had also been experiencing extremely hot and dry weather before the wildfire began. Temperatures reached as high as about 37°C in some parts of the country, and Belgium was experiencing its fifth heatwave of the summer. Long periods of heat and little rain can remove moisture from grass, bushes and other plants. Once this vegetation becomes very dry, it can catch fire more easily and provide fuel for flames to spread.

Belgium is not the only European country dealing with wildfires this summer. Fires have also affected other parts of Europe as periods of extreme heat and dry weather have increased the risk of vegetation catching fire. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land have burned across Europe this year, destroying natural habitats and forcing people in some areas to leave their homes.

On Monday, 17 August, rain and cooler temperatures finally brought some relief to Belgium and helped firefighters make progress against the wildfire. However, the danger is not completely over. Parts of the peat can continue smouldering beneath the ground, so firefighters must keep checking the burned areas carefully to make sure the fire does not start spreading again.

For the families who had to leave their homes and the firefighters who have spent days battling the flames, the arrival of rain is welcome news. But the record-breaking wildfire has also shown just how quickly a natural area can become dangerous when extreme heat, dry vegetation and fire come together.