Localised flare-ups and heavy smoke were reported overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the High Fens nature reserve, where a wildfire has been burning for more than a week, the Liège provincial governor’s office said at dawn on Sunday.
Monitoring and firefighting operations continued throughout the night, with support from drones operated by the federal police and civil protection teams.
Emergency services were called out to tackle several localised flare-ups.
The near-complete lack of wind overnight did not make the response any easier. According to Tony Hosmans, the governor’s crisis communication officer, the still conditions caused smoke to build up and become clearly noticeable at various points around the perimeter, depending on slight shifts in the breeze.
He said the smoke should gradually clear after daybreak as temperatures rise.
