Practice English with NewsPractice with News
NatureTravel153 words1 min read

Huge Wildfire in Belgium Forces Villages to Evacuate

Map of belgium showing destruction in 1916
Photo by Europeana on Unsplash
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Listen to the story

A big wildfire is burning in Belgium. People call it a historic fire. This means it is very big and very rare.

Firefighters say the work is very difficult. They call it a "very complex" operation. This means it has many hard parts.

Some villages near the fire had to evacuate. This means people left their homes to be safe.

The fire makes a lot of smoke. The smoke is so big that it went to France and Germany too.

People in these countries can see and smell the smoke. It came from far away, from Belgium.

This happened during a weekend in August. It was one of the biggest news stories of that weekend.

Firefighters are still working to stop the fire. It is not easy because the fire is very large.

People are watching the news to learn more about the fire and its effects on nearby countries.

Vocabulary4 words

wildfire
a big fire that burns outside, like in forests
operation
a planned job or action, often difficult
evacuate
to leave a place quickly because it is dangerous
smoke
grey or black air that comes from fire

Quiz

1. What is happening in Belgium?
2. Why did some villages evacuate?
3. Where did the smoke travel to?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

A big _____ is burning in Belgium. People call it a historic fire.

Firefighters say the work is very difficult. They call it a "very complex" _____.

Some villages near the fire had to _____. This means people left their homes to be safe.

The fire makes a lot of _____. The smoke is so big that it went to France and Germany too.

People in these countries can see and smell the smoke. It came from far away, from _____.

This happened during a _____ in August. It was one of the biggest news stories of that weekend.

Firefighters are still working to stop the _____. It is not easy because the fire is very large.

People are watching the news to learn more about the fire and its effects on nearby _____.

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