EU Deploys Helicopters and Water Bombers to Combat Belgium's Largest Wildfire
The European Union sent three helicopters and two water-bomber planes to help fight a record-size blaze in Belgium's High Fens nature reserve.
A massive wildfire has been raging in the High Fens, Belgium's largest nature reserve, after igniting on Friday and spreading to about 1,600 hectares by Saturday afternoon. Belgian authorities requested urgent aid, prompting the European Union to dispatch three helicopters and two water-bomber aircraft sourced from the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Netherlands, as announced by EU crisis commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Firefighters, local farmers and the army are jointly working to contain the blaze, while regional officials report that water is being pumped from nearby lakes.
The fire now exceeds the size of the previous record set in 2011, which burned nearly 1,400 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The incident comes amid a series of heatwaves that have created dry conditions favorable to wildfires across Europe.
Why it matters
The EU's rapid response highlights cross-border cooperation in tackling extreme weather-driven disasters.
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