Firefighters battle wildfire tearing through Belgian nature reserve

Firefighters had "allowed parts of the heathland to burn because the area is very difficult to access," Yernaux said.Getty ImagesThe aftermath of the fire in a scorched area of the nature park, pictured on SaturdayGregory Melotte, one of those working to extinguish the blaze, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF: "We managed to calm the fire coming from the plain, to prevent it from spreading into the fir forest. We still succeeded in our mission, but it's not over yet."The flames are coming towards us, the wind has shifted twice, once in our favour, once against us."The country activated the European Union's civil protection mechanism to trigger reinforcements from other countries.European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said two Swedish water-bombing aircraft and two helicopters, one from the Czech Republic and one from the Netherlands, were on their way.Meanwhile, local officials said 650 residents evacuated their homes as a wildfire burned in Landes, south-western France. The fire began on Thursday and, according to authorities, reignited on Saturday - with more than 500 firefighters deployed to tackle the blaze.