Rain and cooler temperatures have finally brought some relief to the High Fens in Belgium, where firefighters have been battling a major wildfire for several days. But despite the change in weather, the fire is far from extinguished, with peat continuing to burn deep underground.
RTL reported from the High Fens on Tuesday that the rainfall had not been enough to put out the blaze. Over the weekend, the fire had worked its way so deeply into the peat that the water was unable to penetrate sufficiently. In some places, the fire is now smouldering more than 70 centimetres below the surface.
This remains one of the firefighters' main concerns. Crews are currently trying to soak the affected areas with as much water as possible, particularly as conditions are expected to become drier again on Wednesday.
Strong winds on the plateau are another risk. RTL witnessed how quickly the fire could flare up again in parts of the forest where little rain had reached the ground and the soil remained relatively dry.
The wind has also been carrying smoke eastwards towards Germany, with the smoke reportedly noticeable as far away as Cologne.
While the rain has helped the firefighting effort, it has also created new problems on the ground. Forest tracks that were dusty over the weekend have turned to mud, making it increasingly difficult for vehicles to reach some affected areas.
In some places, the fire has already worked its way more than 70 centimetres into the peat.
Forest worker Stéphane Rensonnet said peat deposits can reach six or seven metres in depth in some areas, meaning efforts to fully extinguish the smouldering fire could continue for several weeks.
According to information from the crisis centre on Tuesday afternoon, the overall situation was stable. Authorities are now focusing on preventing the fire from spreading further north-east towards Germany.
Firefighters from across Belgium remain involved in the operation. However, nine firefighting planes and helicopters were unable to fly due to rain. Farmers who had been supporting the emergency services were also forced to suspend some of their work because narrow forest tracks had become too slippery.
Luxembourg crews were among those affected. They briefly returned to the operation on Tuesday morning, but worsening conditions soon forced them to stop.
Martin Heynen, volunteer from Luxembourg, said the rain had intensified during the morning, while strong winds brought down several trees. With the fire already largely under control, crews decided not to take unnecessary risks by driving further into the forest, where falling trees could hit tractors or other vehicles, he said.
Firefighters will still have to pour thousands of litres of water onto the roughly 3,000 hectares affected in order to extinguish the smouldering peat fire. Some teams spend hours working in isolated parts of the forest.
Local residents have also been supporting the firefighters since the first hours of the blaze.
Dominique and Bernard are among those providing crews with food and drinks. Each morning, they make the rounds of local cafés to collect supplies before travelling as far as possible into the affected area.
They said firefighters working in remote parts of the forest were often visibly relieved to see them, as some crews can otherwise find themselves largely isolated during long shifts.
The solidarity shown by residents has become a striking feature of the response across the High Fens plateau.
Asked why they were helping, the answer from locals was straightforward: "It's only natural, it's our country that's burning."
