Firefighters in Belgium fought an all-night battle against a massive wildfire — the largest in the country’s history — which broke out in the mountainous Hautes Fagnes nature reserve and is now spreading toward Germany.
Belgium: Shifting winds as 7,400 acres reduced to ash
Local authorities announced that the fire has already destroyed an area of approximately 7,400 acres (3,000 hectares). “Conditions are complex. Despite lower wind intensity, the winds changed direction multiple times throughout the night,” officials stated in a public announcement.
🇧🇪 ⚠️ Firefighters battling Belgium’s largest modern-day wildfire were counting on crucial air support on Sunday to help tame the blaze in a hard-to-access nature reserve, after it doubled in size over the previous 24 hours ➡️ https://t.co/5Ko2XmDQqW pic.twitter.com/SKXZrJJekE
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 16, 2026
⚡🇧🇪 FLASH | BELGIQUE : l’un des pires incendies de son histoire ravage les Hautes Fagnes. Plus de 2 700 hectares brûlés, environ 600 personnes évacuées. Le feu n’est toujours pas maîtrisé. (AFP) pic.twitter.com/1mWv2wULVB
— AlertesNewsFR (@AlertesNewsFR24) August 16, 2026
BELGIUM’S GREEN FIELDS SWALLOWED by MASSIVE WALL of FIRE as WILDFIRE RAGES pic.twitter.com/RQIZL57ps3
— RTVisual (@RT_Visual_on_X) August 15, 2026
Massive firefighting forces from Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg — supported by the military and local farmers — have concentrated their efforts on the front advancing toward German territory. Emergency response teams believe that dropping temperatures and increased humidity could prove to be key allies in halting the fire’s destructive path.
Meanwhile, the European Union has deployed three helicopters and two firefighting aircraft from the Czech Republic, Sweden, and the Netherlands to the scene since Saturday.
