Belgium’s worst fire in recent history still burning in the High Fens national park on German border

Firefighters from Belgium and abroad continue to battle one of the worst wildfires in the country’s recent history on Monday morning after a devastating blaze broke out in the High Fens national park in the province of Liège on Friday.

Some 3,000 hectares of land and a forest of fir trees has gone up in flames, while some 600 residents have been evacuated from villages in the area, reports RTBF.

The scale of the blaze provoked an unprecedented emergency response with 500 personnel and more than 120 vehicles currently working on the ground.

Firefighters from across the country were joined by colleagues from Germany, the Belgian army, civil protection officers, police, forest workers and local farmers in a massive operation to contain the rapidly spreading fire.

Two Dutch Chinook helicopters and Swedish seaplanes arrived on the scene on Sunday after Belgium activated the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. They assisted the fleet of six aircraft already deployed in fighting the fire by waterbombing encroaching flames. The aircraft scooped up water from surrounding lakes, rivers and canals.

The task for emergency services was complicated by the rugged terrain of the High Fens and its peat bogs, explained the Walloon Public Service. “[It] makes the intervention particularly complex and prevents the emergency services from attacking the fire everywhere at very close range with their usual resources.”

Brussels firefighters were among emergency workers reinforcing the operation. A water tanker, a fire engine and eight Brussels firefighters were dispatched to the scene, the Brussels Capital-Region said in a statement on Sunday evening.

The arrival of rain on Monday morning was helping to douse the fire, which was no longer spreading towards Germany.

It was on Friday around midday that the blaze quickly took hold in the sparsely populated area, doubling in size in 24 hours.

Residents in the Waimes area, including the village of Sourbrodt and several hamlets in Bütgenbach, received evacuation orders on Saturday afternoon. A school in the neighbouring municipality of Malmedy initially sheltered around 20 people. Some people chose to remain in their homes.

On Sunday, German authorities in Monschau recommended a precautionary evacuation for residents of the small town located on the edge of the High Fens. This became mandatory in the evening due to the advance of the ravaging fire. No homes in the affected area have been damaged so far.

Smoke and a burnt odour drifted south on Sunday to the province of Namur, reaching its border with France.

The area around the High Fens plateau remained closed to the public to allow emergency services to work.

The cause of the fire during the third heatwave in Belgium this summer is still unknown. An investigation has been opened by the Liège public prosecutor's office.

It is Belgium’s biggest wildfire since a devastating blaze in 1911 when the country was suffering a similar period of high temperatures and dry weather conditions.

Photos: ©Liège fire service Zone 2 Facebook page