Belgium to draw up national plan after record wildfire

Belgium is to draw up a national action plan to strengthen its response to wildfires following its largest recorded blaze, according to a report by the Belga news agency.

Interior Minister Bernard Quintin announced the plan after a fire in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve in Liege province burned for seven days starting Aug. 14.

About 3,000 hectares (7,431 acres) of land were damaged before the fire was brought under control, making it the largest wildfire recorded in Belgium.

Quintin told the Chamber of Representatives’ Interior Committee that the response, led at the provincial level, had been effective.

Federal authorities had provided personnel and equipment, while emergency services from other regions and a European solidarity mechanism were also mobilized.

He said no emergency service or country could permanently maintain all the resources needed for the most severe scenarios, including aircraft, helicopters, vehicles and personnel. Instead, resources must be deployed progressively according to need.

The national plan will seek to strengthen Belgium’s capacity to tackle wildfires and adapt it to current and future risks.

The opposition Socialist Party has urged a special parliamentary committee to examine the response, including a report on climate-related risks following the deadly floods of 2021.

The government has rejected suggestions that authorities were unprepared, while coalition lawmakers have encouraged a review of the response, greater federal funding for emergency services and measures to make firefighting a more attractive profession.