More than 170 hectares of vegetation have already gone up in flames in the Hautes Fagnes after a fire that was reportedly caused by humans started on Monday evening.
Some 130 firefighters were still battling the flames near the Belgian-German border on Tuesday morning after the fire broke out at around 17:30 on Monday. Belgian firefighters are being assisted by their German colleagues and civil protection, emergency services reported on Tuesday.
“The fire flared up overnight but the flames were contained within an area demarcated by the emergency services,” Francis Cloth, the commander of the German-speaking Community’s rescue zone, said Tuesday morning.
Credit: Belga/ Francois Peiffer
Together with their German colleagues and the civil protection authorities, the Belgian firefighters are protecting certain strategic points. They are equipped with a drone to monitor the area and the spread of the flames, which are being fanned by the wind and spreading quickly across dry soil.
Emergency services have been impeded by the difficulty of accessing the area; on Tuesday morning, a helicopter bearing water tanks will assist the efforts.
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The Eaux et Forêts (Water and Forestry Service) has said the fire was caused by human activity, as there were no natural phenomena such as thunderstorms or lightning to explain the outbreak of flames in the area.
Emergency services expect to be on hand throughout the day.
