EU aircraft sent to Belgium as it fights record wildfire

Three 'helicopters' and two 'water bomber aircrafts?were deployed by the European Union to tackle a wildfire that was raging on Saturday in eastern Belgium, according to the crisis commissioner of the bloc.

Since Friday, firefighters, farmers, and the army have been battling the fire in the High Fens.

Local media reported that by early Saturday afternoon it had?burned 1,600 hectares. They cited statistics from the Governor of Liege, the province.

The fire would be the largest ever recorded in Belgium. It would surpass a 2011 blaze that?burned almost 1,400 hectares. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System revealed this. This week, European countries, including Belgium, experienced their fifth heatwave in the summer. The hot and dry weather conditions are what fuels wildfires. Scientists confirm that climate change caused by humans is increasing "fire-prone" conditions, which allow wildfires spread faster and burn for longer. When a country asks for emergency assistance, the EU coordinates the deployment of additional resources from European countries. In a post posted on X, EU Crisis Commissioner Hadja lahbib revealed that the aircraft sent to Belgium Saturday came from?the Czech Republic?, Sweden?and?the Netherlands?

A spokesperson from the Wallonia region's infrastructure department said that firefighters and farmers were pumping water out of?local lakes? to fight the fire. (Reporting and editing by Kirby Donovan; Reporting by Kate Abnett)

(source: Reuters)