Belgium races to tame huge wildfire 'spreading towards Germany'

Firefighters battle the advancing flames in eastern Belgium as thick smoke and difficult terrain complicate efforts to contain the blaze.

The blaze has mushroomed to 3,000 hectares two days after breaking out in the High Fens park, an area of boggy peatlands and pine forests popular with hikers.

Severe wildfires are affecting multiple countries in Europe, with two fatalities reported in Greece and significant blazes in Spain, fueled by extreme heat and drought conditions

Water-bombing aircraft and farmers' tractors joined forces to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which has scorched vast swathes of a hard-to-reach nature reserve near the German border.

HAUTES FAGNES/BRUSSELS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled with the aid of Dutch helicopters on Sunday to contain Belgium's biggest wildfire, which has already burned 3,000 hectares of land and which local authorities said was heading towards the German border.

Firefighters from all over Belgium as well as from Germany have been deployed across the High Fens park, an area of boggy peatlands and forest fires near the German border, in an attempt to tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildifre.

Firefighters from all over Belgium as well as from Germany have been deployed across the High Fens park, an area of boggy peatlands and forest fires near the German border, in an attempt to tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildifre.

HAUTES FAGNES/BRUSSELS, Aug 16 - Firefighters worked through the night to battle Belgium's biggest wildfire on record, which by Sunday morning had burned 3,000 hectares of land and was heading towards the German border, local authorities said.

Belgium's biggest wildfire on record heads towards Germany  Reuters