3,000 hectares up in flames: Belgium battles its biggest wildfire on record

Firefighters from across Belgium, as well as teams from Germany and Luxembourg, have been working alongside the Belgian army and local farmers to prevent the blaze from spreading further.Belgium’s biggest wildfire on record continued to spread towards the German border on Sunday, as firefighters backed by Dutch helicop

The wildfire has burned more than 27 square kilometres in a large nature reserve, in one of the country’s worst wildfires in recent history.

Two women, aged 60 and 80, have been killed after torrential rain triggered a landslide in northwest Spain.

The fire in eastern Belgium doubled in size over 24 hours by Sunday morning. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated on Saturday, with three helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft arriving from Sweden, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

Belgium is battling what has been described as the country's largest wildfire in modern history, forcing hundreds of villagers to evacuate near the German border. Firefighters, EU reinforcements and local farmers are working to contain the blaze as shifting winds and extreme heat complicate efforts.

Humanitarian needs driven by climate disasters and global conflicts are continuing to outstrip available resources, putting growing pressure on an aid system already grappling with a funding squeeze, says IFRC Asia Pacific director Alexander Matheou.