The EU is sending helicopters and planes to Belgium, amid the largest wildfire in recent decades.

The European Union mobilized three helicopters and two planes on Saturday to support Belgium in combating a major vegetation fire that broke out on Friday in High Fens, the largest natural reserve in the country. Authorities in Brussels requested emergency assistance, and the fire has already devastated approximately 1,600 hectares, thus surpassing the fire in 2011, which affected nearly 1,400 hectares.

Firefighters, along with farmers and military personnel, are working intensively to control the flames, and German firefighters have come to assist. Extreme weather conditions, caused by a heatwave, have favored the outbreak of the fire, and scientists emphasize that climate change is intensifying these conditions. The EU climate monitoring service has warned of high risks of vegetation fires in Europe, where temperatures have exceeded the historical average.