00:02Belgium's largest wildfire in a century was brought under control on Thursday after a seven-day
00:08fight involving hundreds of firefighters in the High Fence Nature Reserve. The local governor's
00:15office said the fire is not expected to spread unless there is a major change in weather conditions.
00:22The High Fence fire expanded over the weekend to half the size of Manhattan, burning through peatland,
00:28pine trees and hiking trails. Authorities said the fire was now fully contained on its western side,
00:35with operations continuing to the east to finish the job. But officials have warned it will take
00:40weeks or even months of soaking and dowsing to prevent the blaze from reigniting. Around 350
00:48firefighters and other emergency personnel remain deployed, as do the many farmers who mobilized
00:55in support of the operation last week. All evacuation orders in the border region were
01:00lifted on Wednesday, allowing residents to return home. The blaze broke out for reasons
01:06still unknown in an area that was ravaged by massive fires in 1911 during a similar period
01:13of heat waves. It was the country's largest wildfire since then.
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