Major fire circled in the High Fens: the situation remains complicated

According to authorities, the large fire in the High Fens in Belgium has been “circled” by firefighters. The flames did not spread further towards Germany, said the head of crisis communications for the Liège province, Tony Hosmans. However, the situation remains “complicated,” added Hosmans. The fire flared up again in several places.

The fire should be brought under control during the day, Hosmans said. “If possible,” this should be done with support from the air. The Bundeswehr, among others, sent two helicopters with fire-fighting water containers to the area on Monday.

The governor of the Belgian province of Liège, Hervé Jamar, said it was a “positive development on site”. A situation assessment will be carried out with a view to likely reducing the resources deployed during the day, the governor said. It remains to be confirmed whether aerial firefighting operations will continue to be necessary.

Hoping for rain

“The aim is to push back the fires and keep the areas that we have saved so far fire-free,” said Tobias Schell, fire department spokesman in the neighboring German town of Monschau, to the dpa news agency. A bright spot is the rain, which is also forecast for Wednesday. “That definitely plays into our hands.”

The biggest problem is the northeastern flank of the fire, which is particularly difficult to reach. “This is our critical point,” said Schell. This fire line is 2.3 kilometers from the German border.

The evacuated people in Monschau can at least breathe a sigh of relief for the time being. The city announced that the evacuation of several streets in the Kalterherberg district had been lifted. Residents are allowed to return to their homes with immediate effect.

Extinguishing work could take weeks

Covering around 3,000 hectares, it is one of the largest forest fires in the history of Belgium - of all places in the High Fens, which is considered a unique raised moor and swamp landscape. The fight was particularly difficult, as Belgian fire brigade commander Luc Burette explained on Dutch television. "The ground is made of peat and there is grass on the surface. This allows the fire to spread quickly." Fires flared up again several times during the night.

And it can last a long time. A Monschau fire department spokesman predicted that the underground smoldering layers of peat in the dry raised moor on Belgian territory would be: "This will be an operation that lasts weeks."

Like large parts of Europe, Belgium is suffering from heat and drought this summer. According to scientists, human-caused climate change is causing longer heat waves and droughts. These dry out the vegetation and thus promote forest fires.