Firefighters battle a massive Belgian wildfire, forcing hundreds to evacuate

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Firefighters battle a massive Belgian wildfire, forcing hundreds to evacuate

2026-08-16 18:01 Last Updated At：18:10

BAELEN, Belgium (AP) — Firefighters battled a massive wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday that has burned more than 27 square kilometers (10 square miles) in the High Fens, a large nature reserve, in one of the country’s worst wildfires in recent history.

About 600 residents in nearby municipalities in Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were told to evacuate Saturday as winds shifted and smoke spread through the area. Authorities also advised tourists to leave, while a nearby gymnasium was opened to receive evacuees.

Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said in a statement Sunday that more than 250 emergency personnel have been deployed, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, police and military officers and civil protection staff, helped by firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands,

Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, though the fire remained close to residential areas and heavy smoke persisted. They urged people to stay away from the fire zone, warning that unnecessary traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles and complicate firefighting operations.

Belgium activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to receive assistance from other countries, EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who is in charge of crisis management, said on X.

“The High Fens are burning. Belgium is not facing it alone,” Lahbib said. Sweden sent two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters — two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic — were also being deployed.

The fire follows weeks of unusually hot and dry weather. The High Fens’ mix of heathland and peat bogs has complicated efforts to contain the flames.

The blaze has far surpassed a 2011 fire that burned nearly 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) in the same area and had been Belgium’s previous largest on record, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System.

In the nearby town of Monschau, in Germany, local authorities warned overnight that the fire was about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the border and said firefighters were on alert. Early Sunday morning, the town website recommended that people in three outlying districts near the border leave the area temporarily because officials couldn’t rule out health risks caused by smoke.

Belgium was hit by another spell of intense heat this week, with temperatures reaching about 37 C (98.6 F) in parts of the country Friday.

In France, firefighters battling a wildfire in a pine forest in the southwestern Landes region faced no major flare-ups overnight, Landes Prefect Gilles Clavreul said. Authorities estimated the total area burned at 17 square kilometers (6.6 square miles), while about 650 people had been evacuated from their homes.

“The situation is developing rather favorably,” Clavreul told reporters Sunday.

It was the third major wildfire in the vast pine forests of southwestern France this summer, following two others in late July. A massive wildfire in the neighboring Gironde department burned about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) and forced the evacuation of about 220,000 people as it spread toward the Atlantic coast and the Bordeaux area.

Corbet reported from Paris. AP writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

Bangladesh claims historic first win in Australia with 9-wicket victory in 1st test

DARWIN, Australia (AP) — Bangladesh completed a stunning nine-wicket victory over Australia in the first test on Sunday, securing its first win on Australian soil and only its second victory over top-ranked Australia.

After making a vital half-century with the bat, Mehidy Hasan Miraz took five wickets for Bangladesh in the second innings to restrict Australia to a lead of just 56 runs, as the hosts were bowled out for 284 midway through the afternoon session at Darwin’s Marrara Oval.

Bangladesh suffered some early nerves in its chase when Josh Hazlewood (1-5) dismissed first-innings centurion Tanzid Hasan for a duck, but Shadman Islam (25 not out) and Mominul Haque (30 not out) held their composure to reach the target in 14.2 overs sparking wild celebrations within the contingent of Bangladesh fans seated behind the team’s dugout on the boundary.

“This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said. “We will do something special in the future.”

The victory was celebrated back home, too, with Shanto taking a congratulatory video call from Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the dressing room.

“These are special moments for us, as I believe everyone back home is enjoying our success," Shanto said in comments on the espncricinfo website. “We get these moments very few times in our life, so we should spend the whole day in celebrating this win.”

Cameron Green scored his third test century, and his first in Australia, making a composed 104 from 201 balls to lead Australia’s resistance.

It was a thoroughly deserved result for Bangladesh, which had outplayed Australia for much of the test after home captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia managed just 198 in its first innings, with man-of-the-match Hasan Mahmud taking 6-55, before Bangladesh capitalized as the pitch flattened to post 426 and take a commanding 228-run lead.

That advantage ultimately proved too much for Australia to overcome, despite Green’s breakthrough century, as Bangladesh secured a historic victory, and only its second against Australia after its maiden win in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2017.

For Australia, the defeat will rank as one of its most humiliating home reverses in its 149-year test history with considerable pressure now on the team's selectors to make changes ahead of the second test in Mackay, Queensland state, starting Aug. 22.

“I think every time there’s a game like this, you always look at your match-ups and your make-up with the team for the next one,” Cummins said. “We’re pretty good at bouncing back, so no doubt the batters and every group will get together and have a good think about this one and where we can improve.”

With the door still ajar for Australia at 161-4 at the start of Day 4 with Green and Alex Carey at the crease, Mehidy (5-66) firmly closed it with a superb spell either side of lunch to claim four more wickets, to accompany the huge wicket of Steve Smith late on Day 3 to turn the match decisively for Bangladesh.

The offspinner picked up Alex Carey (30) with the wicketkeeper batter expertly caught behind by his counterpart Litton Das.

Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 193-6, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed.

Pat Cummins’ (8) stay was brief as he offered a catch to Hasan Miraz at short leg to give Mehidy his third wicket of the morning.

Mehidy's deserved fifth was Nathan Lyon leg before wicket to end Australia's innings.

Green was the only constant across Australia's innings and combined with the tail to help the hosts avoid the ignominy of a home innings defeat and frustrate Bangladesh.

The allrounder brought up a deserved century after lunch from 192 balls, with four boundaries and a six. His celebration was understated given the circumstances for his team, but should not detract from what was his finest innings for Australia in his 37 matches, many of which have been accompanied by questions as to the merits of his selection in the team.

Green's vigil ended when a delivery from Hasan Mahmud (3-56) kept low and bowled him for 104 from 201 balls.

The two-test “Top End” series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here