Firefighting forces from across Belgium and Germany were mobilized to combat the fire, which significantly expanded overnight, and firefighting planes and helicopters were also deployed using the European Union (EU) civil protection mechanism.
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The nearby village of Zaurbrot, home to about 500 people, faced the threat of evacuation.
“Due to the smoke, it is being considered, but a final decision has not yet been made,” said Nicolas Yernaux, a representative of the Walloon regional authorities, to the AFP news agency.
“There is a danger that the fire could reach homes, but we are concentrating all available resources to protect them,” he added.
In Epene – a municipality near the fire site – the sky gradually turned yellow, and columns of smoke were visible in the distance, reported an AFP journalist who was in the area.
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