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Belgium faces its largest forest fire; evacuations ordered.

Belgium faces its largest forest fire; evacuations ordered.
Belgium faces its largest forest fire; evacuations ordered.

A wildfire described as the largest in Belgian history is advancing towards the German border, forcing authorities to carry out evacuations. The head of the Belgian fire service is calling for urgent reinforcements and better European coordination.

The flames are advancing. The fire currently ravaging Belgium is now considered the largest ever recorded in the country, and its progression towards the German border has led authorities to order evacuations in the threatened areas.

Faced with the scale of the disaster, Marc Gilbert, director of the Belgian fire service, sounded the alarm in the national media. Quoted by VRT and Nieuwsblad, he called for urgent recruitment within the fire services and for greater integration of aerial firefighting resources across the European Union.

For Gilbert, Belgium simply does not have the necessary resources to deal with fires of this magnitude. Pooling water bomber fleets among member states is, in his view, an urgent priority that can no longer be delayed.

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