Local authorities in Belgium reported that a fire that broke out at the High Fens nature reserve, one of the largest nature reserves in the country, has destroyed 75,000 acres near the border with Germany. This was reported by the French news agency AFP, which noted that this figure makes it one of the most severe fires. The European Union sent three helicopters and two firefighting planes as part of efforts to control the fire, and several villages were ordered to evacuate the area. Firefighting and rescue forces from Belgium, as well as from neighboring Germany and Luxembourg, are participating in efforts to extinguish the fire, along with military forces and farmers.