Rain started falling on Monday (August 17) morning over eastern Belgium, bringing crucial help to firefighters who have been battling to contain Belgium's biggest ever wildfire which has threatened to reach the German border.

The Belgian weather agency IRM expects between 5 and 9 millimetres (0.19 - 0.35 inches) of rain over the area and further rainfall on Tuesday (August 18).

The temperature in the High Fens, a nature reserve in the east of Belgium burning since Friday (August 14), is set to fall to between 19 and 20 degrees Celsius (66 to 68 Fahrenheit).

Across Europe, successive heatwaves have intensified drought and left vegetation tinder-dry, fuelling severe wildfires and making even generally wet areas, like High Fens, vulnerable.

Local authorities ordered the evacuation of some 600 people in the towns of Buetgenbach and Waimes on Saturday (August 15) and have told them they should not yet return to their homes.

Local prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

The German town of Monschau on Sunday (August 16) asked residents near the border with Belgium to leave, noting that the fire was not expected to enter German territory but significant smoke pollution was likely.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Firefighters douse charred Belgian forest to keep peat fire in check

VIDEO SHOWS: FIREFIGHTERS AND FARMERS DOUSING SMOULDERING FOREST SOIL / SOUNDBITES OF FIREFIGHTER / BURNT AREA IN NATURAL RESERVE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: WAIMES, BELGIUM (AUGUST 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTER IN FOREST AS SMOKE RISES FROM GROUND

2. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS WITH HOSE ON FOREST EDGE

BAELEN, BELGIUM (AUGUST 16, 2026) (RTL - No use Belgium)

3. VARIOUS OF TRACTOR SPRAYING WATER ON BURNT AREA

WAIMES, BELGIUM (AUGUST 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. WATER ON BURNT SOIL

5. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS WITH HOSES

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN FIREFIGHTER, FRANK GUSTING, SAYING:

"The ground underneath is not rock or sand. It's all flammable material. So it stays hot for days or for weeks. So we have to stay here for a long time to keep everything under control."

7. VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING FROM BURNT AREA

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN FIREFIGHTER, FRANK GUSTING, SAYING:

"We are now patrolling the street up and down and preventing the forest from catching fire. This is what we do all day long until someone calls us for something else."

9. GUSTING WORKING

10. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS NEAR TRUCK

BAELEN, BELGIUM (AUGUST 16, 2026) (RTL - No use Belgium)

11. HOSE PLUGGED INTO TRUCK

12. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS NEAR TRUCK

13. VARIOUS OF BURNT AREA OF NATURAL RESERVE