Belgium wildfire slows as foreign helicopters arrive

Air reinforcements were heading to eastern Belgium on Monday to help firefighters battling a wildfire in the High Fens nature reserve, after officials said rain and more favourable winds limited its spread overnight.

The fire broke out Friday for reasons still unknown and had spread to 3,000 hectares by Sunday. Around 500 firefighters and emergency crews have been mobilised.

The local governor's office said major aerial resources were due during the day. Crisis management spokesman Tony Hosmans said the blaze was no longer advancing toward Germany, but had not yet been brought under control.

Two helicopters from Germany and two from Norway were due to join aircraft and helicopters from Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium already on site. Smoke has prompted the evacuation of two Belgian villages, and residents were still being told to stay away.

The boggy High Fens terrain has made ground operations difficult, with heavy vehicles at risk of sinking. Rain was forecast on and off through the week after Belgium experienced heat and drought, with temperatures reaching 37C in some areas on Friday.