Worst wildfire in modern times breaks out in Belgium, 600 villagers evacuated

(Central News Agency, Belgium, Comprehensive Foreign News Report on the 15th) Belgian firefighters continued to fight the worst wildfire in the country’s modern history today. Large areas of nature reserves have been burned to scorched earth. About 600 villagers in eastern Belgium have been ordered to evacuate.

Agence France-Presse reported that the wildfire broke out in the High Fens park near the German border yesterday and spread rapidly. The authorities deployed additional manpower from across the country, and helicopters and firefighting aircraft from across the European Union also came to support.

Officials described the wildfire as the largest in Belgium's recent history, spreading from peatlands and pine forests.

Nicolas Yernaux, spokesman for the local government of Wallonia, said that as of 6 p.m. today, the wildfire had burned at least 20 square kilometers of land and the fire had not yet been controlled.

The local government posted on Facebook that residents in parts of the neighboring villages of Sourbrodt and Buetgenbach had been ordered to evacuate this afternoon for safety reasons.