Cross-Border Firefighting Efforts Combat Largest Ever Forest Fire at Belgium-Germany Border

Firefighters from Belgium and Germany are battling the largest forest fire recorded in Belgium, raging within the Hohes Venn nature reserve, which stretches across the border between Belgium and Germany. The area has suffered from prolonged drought through the summer, increasing the fire risk and complicating efforts to control the blaze. The fire primarily spreads through the peat bog terrain, where combustible peat underground fuels the flames, often invisibly moving within the soil layers, making firefighting a difficult and prolonged endeavor.

Despite the fire threatening this cross-border nature reserve, the blaze has not crossed into Germany. Both Belgian and German fire services are engaged in intense firefighting operations that are expected to last several weeks. Germany is also managing additional forest fires within its territory, many caused by human activity.

Germany employs different firefighting assets compared to Belgium. It operates a single permanently stationed firefighting aircraft, the “Hexe 1,” based in Saxony-Anhalt. This plane, a PZL M-18 Dromedar model, holds up to 2,300 liters of water and costs approximately €267,000 annually to maintain. While helpful for accessing difficult terrain, firefighting in Germany relies mainly on helicopters for water deployment, a cost-intensive approach borne largely by local municipalities. The German Bundeswehr billed €1.35 million for firefighting efforts during a major 2024 wildfire.

Further complications include the presence of old World War munitions in affected areas, posing additional hazards to firefighting teams. On a hopeful note, rain is forecasted for the week, which may assist in controlling these fires.

The European Union recognizes the need to enhance firefighting capacity and plans to build a larger fleet of firefighting aircraft to support member states, including Germany. Meanwhile, brave firefighters on both sides of the border continue to confront this destructive event with limited but coordinated resources.