Wildfires in Belgium: 3,000 hectares burned, flames still smoldering.
The largest forest fire in Belgium in over a century has devastated approximately 3,000 hectares in the High Fens Nature Reserve. Although the fire has been contained, it continues to smolder beneath the peat layers and poses a risk of reigniting.
On August 19, Belgian officials announced that firefighters had contained the area.forest fires in BelgiumThe fire is raging in the High Fens Nature Reserve, near the German border, after days of efforts to contain it.
Crisis management spokesman Tony Hosmans said the fire had been contained and was no longer spreading eastward towards German territory. The next objective is to completely control the fire, with the support of air firefighting forces if weather conditions permit.
However, the situation on the ground remains complicated due to the emergence of numerous new fires in different areas.
The fire broke out on August 14th and quickly spread through an area with peat bogs, pine forests, and hiking trails. By the end of last week, the affected area had reached approximately3,000 hectaresThis area is equivalent to half the size of Manhattan, New York. Hundreds of firefighters worked continuously day and night to prevent the fire from spreading further.
The final area to be cordoned off was near the German border, where the terrain was particularly difficult to access. Ground forces worked through the night, advancing from the east and north to seal off the fire zone.
Firefighting efforts faced numerous obstacles due to the unique terrain of the High Fens, which includes wastelands, peat bogs, and a system of wooden walkways.
Firefighting aircraft fromNorway, Germany, Sweden, and the NetherlandsThey were deployed to provide assistance. However, low cloud cover prevented them from operating on August 18th. Scattered rains helped increase humidity and slow the spread of the fire, but the bad weather also significantly limited aerial firefighting operations.
The fire is smoldering underground, posing a risk of reigniting.
The fires occurred amidst weeks of severe wildfires across Europe, fueled by dry weather and an unusually hot summer. France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain are also grappling with major fires.
The cause of the High Fens wildfire is currently unknown. The area was previously devastated by major fires in 1911, also during a prolonged period of hot weather.The biggest wildfire in Belgium in over a century..
The fire prompted authorities to order evacuations in the German town of Monschau, near the Belgian border, along with two Belgian villages. Residents of Sourbrodt were later allowed to return home.
Officials warn that even if the fire is brought under control, it could take a considerable amount of time for firefighters to recover.weeks, even monthsto deal with the burned areas to prevent the fire from reigniting.
Regional fire chief David Covens said the fire was burning in peat layers, meaning the flames were still smoldering underground, in some places at considerable depth.
According to him, every time the ground is disturbed, for example when firefighters cut down trees exposing the soil beneath, the fire can reignite. Therefore, even though the fire has been contained, the battle against the "underground fire" at High Fens is expected to continue.
