Rain Aids Firefighters Battling Belgium's Record Wildfire Near German Border

Light rain on Monday morning aided firefighters battling Belgium's largest wildfire on record, which has burned over 3,000 hectares of the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium.

The blaze, raging since Friday afternoon, had crept closer to the German border over the weekend, prompting the precautionary evacuation of parts of the German town of Monschau and two Belgian villages. As of Monday morning, the rain helped stop the fire's spread east towards Germany, though it continued to grow north-east. The wildfire, which grew from 80 hectares on Friday to 850 by Saturday morning, is more than double the size of Belgium's previous largest fire in 2011.

Weather forecasts predicted between 5 and 9 millimeters of rain for the High Fens on Monday, with local temperatures expected to fall to around 20°C after a heatwave saw parts of Belgium reach 37°C last week. Approximately 500 firefighters and emergency crews are mobilized to contain the blaze. They are supported by water-bombing aircraft from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, as well as Dutch and German military helicopters.

Firefighters from Germany and Luxembourg have joined the Belgian response, alongside the army and local farmers using tractors to haul water. Tony Hosmans, a crisis management spokesman, stated the blaze was no longer advancing towards the German border. Interior minister Bernard Quintin reported two fire fronts were under control. Belgium’s King Philippe is scheduled to visit the affected area. The cause of the fire remains unknown.