Belgian authorities expected crucial aerial support on Sunday to help combat the country's largest wildfire in modern history, which has been burning since Friday. More than 250 firefighters and emergency personnel worked through the night in the Ardennes nature reserve, near the German border, to stop the spread of the fire, which has burned 3,000 hectares.
Firefighters said they depended heavily on aircraft on Sunday to control the blaze, with reinforcements arriving from several European countries. Belgian federal police helicopters and Dutch aircraft were already operating Sunday morning, repeatedly collecting water from a nearby lake. Additional helicopters from the Czech Republic and Sweden were expected to join later in the day after Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Germany and Norway could also provide aerial support, said Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, to AFP. "Thank you to our European partners for the assistance they are providing," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on X.
Europe has been fighting wildfires throughout a summer marked by repeated heatwaves and drought, with fires forcing thousands to evacuate in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Firefighters in France continued on Sunday fighting several fires, including one approaching the Belgian border.
Belgium's wildfires are devastating fragile peatlands and pine forests in the Ardennes, which were ravaged by wildfires during a similar period of heat and drought in 1911. It is Belgium's largest wildfire since then. No homes have been damaged so far, but residents of two villages have been evacuated and authorities say the fire remains out of control.