Belgium's Largest-Ever Wildfire Spreads Toward German Border, Triggers Monschau Evacuation Order

A wildfire that broke out August 14 in Belgium's High Fens (Hautes Fagnes) nature reserve in Liège province — a peat-bog and pine-forest area straddling the Belgian-German border — grew into the largest wildfire ever recorded in Belgium, eventually burning roughly 3,000 hectares, more than double the previous national record of about 1,400 hectares set in 2011. Shifting winds pushed the fire and a large smoke plume toward Germany and Luxembourg over the following days, prompting an evacuation order in the German border town of Monschau (Eifel region, NRW) as a precaution. More than 250 emergency personnel from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were deployed in a cross-border firefighting effort alongside troops. The fire's advance toward the German border halted over the weekend and rain on August 17 aided containment efforts.