🔻Local officials on Sunday, August 15, 2026, announced that the forest fire—which has been described as Belgium’s largest wildfire in the country’s contemporary history—has spread more than twice as much over the past 24 hours.

Hundreds of firefighters, for the third consecutive day, are trying to contain the fire as it advances in the “Haut Fagnes” area. This area is Belgium’s largest nature reserve. Two nearby villages have been forced to evacuate.

Local farmers have been transporting water tankers toward this park near the eastern border of Belgium with Germany. Sweden and the Netherlands are also participating in the firefighting operation by sending water-spraying aircraft and helicopters to the area.

Belgian officials have warned that extreme heat and the park’s geographic conditions have made efforts to put out the fire more difficult. The park includes marshland areas, meadows, and forests.

Local officials say the fire expanded from 80 hectares on Friday to 850 hectares by Saturday morning, and by early Sunday it had covered about 3,000 hectares.