Belgium’s High Fens blaze shows risks of peat and climate conditions

Heavy rain and aircraft dropping water have failed to fully extinguish a vast peat fire in the High Fens of eastern Belgium, where some 3,000 hectares of natural forest have been turned into a smouldering wasteland. The blaze now burns about a metre below ground through bog peat, making it extremely hard to control. Smoke has hospitalized two firefighters and kept residents from their homes, while Germany’s nearby town of Monschau faces evacuations. Al Jazeera's Peter Smith reports from eastern Belgium. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Belgium #HighFens #ForestFire #PeatFire #Climate #CrossBorder #Germany #Monschau #Firefighters #AlJazeeraEnglish