More than 1,600 hectares of vegetation have been destroyed in the wildfire burning in the Fagnes since Friday 14 August, making it the biggest disaster of its kind ever recorded in Belgium, the mayors of Baelen and Jalhay said on Saturday afternoon.
The estimate was established after an aerial survey carried out by the emergency services. Baelen Mayor Nathalie Thönnissen, who was at the crisis centre in Vottem, near Liège, said firefighters who flew over the area confirmed that 1,600 hectares had burned.
She said the blaze is difficult to reach and requires substantial aerial support to bring it under control. She added that local authorities were hoping for the arrival later in the day of a helicopter from abroad.
“The fire engines sink in when they try to reach the flames, so we need more aerial resources,” Thönnissen said. “The other difficulty is the wind, which keeps changing direction. That is why the fire is spreading in all directions.”
Large numbers of Belgian firefighters from several emergency zones across the country are currently in the Fagnes battling the fire. They are being supported by other services, including Civil Protection and the armed forces.
Additional reinforcements from Flanders and Germany have also arrived.
