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Belgium Battles Largest Wildfire on Record Near German Border

evening · · thread: Massive Wildfires Force Hundreds of Thousands to Evacuate in France and Spain

10 sources across 9 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • Politico Europe Belgium · Centre · Axel Springer SE
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • Aftenposten Norway · Centre-right · Schibsted, Tinius Trust foundation
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Belgium is currently battling the largest wildfire in its modern history, with the blaze scorching between 2,700 and 3,000 hectares of the High Fens nature reserve. The fire broke out on Friday and spread rapidly across fragile peatlands and pine forests, doubling in size within 24 hours. Authorities report that the fire was fueled by a recent spell of intense heat and drought, with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius in some areas. No homes have been damaged so far, although the fire remains a significant threat due to the difficult terrain of the reserve, which consists of bogs and heathland that hinder heavy vehicle access.

International support has been mobilized through the European Union civil protection mechanism. Water bombing aircraft from Sweden and helicopters from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have joined the effort. On the ground, more than 250 emergency personnel, including firefighters from Germany and Luxembourg, are working to contain the blaze. Local farmers have also assisted by using tractors to haul water from nearby lakes to wet down the area.

Evacuations have occurred on both sides of the border. In Belgium, approximately 600 residents in the municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach were ordered to leave their homes due to shifting winds and heavy smoke. In Germany, the town of Monschau, located about two kilometers from the border, advised residents of three districts to prepare for evacuation or leave temporarily due to smoke. However, German authorities later stated that the situation had relaxed and they did not expect the flames to cross into German territory.

Outlets with center and center right leans focused primarily on the scale of the disaster and the logistical coordination of European air support. Outlets with center left leans emphasized the role of human caused climate change in creating the drought conditions that allowed the fire to spread.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
Highlighted the connection between the wildfire and human caused climate change.
Centre
Focused on the record breaking scale of the fire and the logistical details of the international response.
Centre-right
Emphasized the severity of the blaze and the specific contributions of EU allies.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.