In brief
The High Fens wildfire grew from 80 hectares on Friday to more than 3,000 hectares by early Sunday, marking Belgium’s largest blaze in recent memory. Firefighters from Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands coordinated air and ground attacks under difficult boggy terrain. Two villages were evacuated, yet no homes have been damaged. The event highlights rising wildfire risks amid Europe's summer heatwave.
The fierce blaze in the High Fens nature reserve has become Belgium’s largest wildfire in recent history, expanding from 80 hectares on Friday to more than three thousand hectares by early Sunday.
Hundreds of firefighters, aided by dumpers from Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands, have battled the fast‑moving flames, while officials evacuated two villages near the German border.
The combination of high temperatures and a boggy, moor‑like terrain made fighting the fire difficult, leaving officials to rely heavily on airstrikes – with aircraft flying water bombs over the park. Air and ground crews continue the effort, with no homes yet damaged, but the situation remains tense.
At least two people died in separate European forest fires amid this week’s heat wave, underscoring the growing threat of climate‑driven wildfire outbreaks across the continent.
See the action: Europe's scorched landscapes seen from space after summer heatwaves.
Watch the drone footage of firefighters on the ground: 
A look at the scorched area: 
