Brussels, Aug 18. (dpa/GNA) – Firefighters battling a large-scale wildfire in Belgium, have begun digging a long firebreak, as rain and heavy cloud grounded firefighting aircraft.
The spread of the wildfire in the High Fens, which has destroyed around 3,000 hectares of land since Friday, has largely been stopped, except for the part of the fire front which remains inaccessible for ground crews due to the rugged terrain, a spokesman for the Belgian Interior Ministry told dpa on Tuesday.
The fire front had advanced to within around 2.3 kilometres of the German border, but has hardly progressed overnight due to favourable weather conditions including rain.
As rain and heavy cloud grounded planes and helicopters, firefighters started to dig a firebreak by removing the top layer of soil and vegetation to reach the inaccessible area with fire hoses, the spokesman said.
The effort is expected to take all day on Tuesday, he said. Four firefighters have sustained injuries that required treatment in hospital, according to the spokesman.
Two firefighters who suffered from smoke inhalation could be discharged from hospital, he said.
GNA