The wildfire that has been burning in the High Fens since Friday has already destroyed more than 3,000 hectares, making it the largest in recent Belgian history, though not the biggest ever recorded in the area.
That is according to earlier research by the University of Liège into the High Fens, which shows that an even larger fire broke out there in 1911.
The current blaze had previously been described as “the largest fire in Belgian history,” but the historical comparison suggests that record still belongs to the 1911 fire.
Researchers say the 1911 blaze erupted in August after a scorching summer and soon became known as “Dante’s Inferno.”
The fire spread across the Belgian-Prussian border, in what is now Germany, and more than 2,000 soldiers deployed to the area were unable to stop it.
In total, the 1911 fire is estimated to have destroyed up to 3,900 hectares.
Part of that historic fire, however, burned on Prussian territory, including areas that were only later incorporated into Belgium.
By comparison, a fire in the High Fens in 2011 destroyed about 1,300 hectares.
