Belgium faces largest wildfire on record, turns to Europe for air support

Key Points:

• Belgium is battling its largest modern wildfire in the High Fens nature reserve, with over 3,000 hectares scorched and more than 250 firefighters involved in containment efforts since Friday.
• Air support from Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, and Norway is being coordinated through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism to combat the fire, which remains out of control despite evacuations of two villages.
• The wildfire is affecting fragile peatlands and pine forests, reminiscent of a similar devastating fire in 1911, though no homes have been damaged so far.
• Across Europe, wildfires fueled by heatwaves and drought are widespread, with ongoing fires in France nearing the Belgian border and thousands evacuated in multiple countries.
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