Belgium's Largest-Ever Wildfire Nears German Border

Belgian firefighters battled through the night against the largest forest fire in the country's history, which by Sunday morning had destroyed 3,000 hectares of the High Fens nature reserve and was advancing toward the German border. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, the blaze is more than twice the size of the previous record fire, which occurred in 2011.

The flames have been burning since Friday. Emergency services from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, along with the military and local farmers, have joined the effort to extinguish them. Belgium requested international assistance, prompting the European Union to deploy three helicopters and two firefighting aircraft.

Efforts are now focused on the border area with Germany, with rescue workers hoping for cooler, wetter weather.

The defensive line around the evacuated villages continues to hold, and no residential buildings have been destroyed, although smoke and flames still pose a risk. Residents are not yet able to return to their homes.

(Reuters, Max)