High Fens Wildfire: Peat and Wind Fuel Belgium’s Largest Blaze
A devastating wildfire raging through Belgium’s High Fens plateau has consumed nearly 900 hectares of protected peatland since Friday afternoon, forcing evacuations, mobilizing the military, and prompting provincial authorities to plead with the public to keep emergency lines clear. The blaze, one of the largest natural fires ever recorded in the region, continues to spread as firefighters battle against highly flammable peat soil and unpredictable shifting winds.
The fire broke out around 1 PM on Friday at the Fagne des Deux-Séries, near the Drossart roundabout in the municipality of Baelen, Liège Province, according to RTBF. Within hours, the flames were spreading at speeds of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, driven by extreme drought conditions and temperatures that reached 35.9°C — the hottest day of the year in Belgium, as Paris Match reported.
The Peat Challenge
The unique geography of the High Fens is proving to be firefighters’ greatest obstacle. The soil in the affected area consists of peat — partially decomposed plant material that becomes highly flammable when dry. Unlike surface fires, peat fires can burn deep underground, smoldering for weeks or even months without visible flames.
“The peat area is extremely flammable, especially due to the drought of the past two months,” VRT NWS reporter Ferre Windey noted from the scene. “It is also difficult terrain, and tonight it becomes even more difficult.” Firefighters from Limburg echoed this assessment, with commander Bert Ceyssens explaining that “the peat area is difficult to traverse, you really sink into it,” as reported by VRT NWS.
The fire’s behavior has been further complicated by constantly shifting winds. “The wind is not helping us. It has turned several times since yesterday afternoon,” said Frederic Lex, an officer with the Vesdre Hoëgne & Plateau rescue zone. “Each time we position our resources to try to stop the fire, and each time it manages to get around us a little.”
Emergency Response and Military Deployment
The provincial disaster plan was activated Friday afternoon by acting Governor Anne Dassy, triggering a coordinated response involving multiple fire zones, the Department of Nature and Forests (DNF), Civil Protection, and federal and local police. By Saturday morning, the response had escalated significantly.
Three Panther military vehicles from the Belgian Defense — each with a capacity of 10,500 liters of water and a jet reach of 90 meters — were deployed and became operational around noon Saturday, as confirmed by Defense Minister Theo Francken and reported by RTBF. Three helicopters — from the federal police and Defense — resumed water-dropping operations at 7 AM after being suspended overnight. The federal police also deployed a water cannon, typically used for crowd control, to fight the blaze.
Reinforcements poured in from across Belgium and Germany. Firefighters from Limburg’s three fire zones departed at 5 AM Saturday with forest fire trucks, tankers, and command vehicles. Local farmers also mobilized with water tankers, helping transport water to the fire zone throughout the night.
Governor Urges Public to Keep 112 Clear
As the fire raged, the emergency number 112 was overwhelmed with calls from people offering help and expressing concern. Governor Hervé Jamar of Liège Province issued an urgent appeal for the public to keep the line clear for genuine emergencies.
“If there is a need in the coming hours, we will communicate directly about the means and manner in which everyone can offer their support,” Jamar said, as reported by VRT NWS. He also announced that the N68 road was closed to traffic and that parking areas at the Gileppe and Eupen dams were strictly off-limits.
Access to the High Fens was prohibited in four municipalities — Baelen, Jalhay, Waimes, and Malmedy — and the Signal de Botrange, Baraque Michel, and Mont Rigi were evacuated. The iconic Mont Rigi and Baraque Michel establishments lost hundreds of reservations on the eve of the August 15 national holiday. Owner Nicolas Clinet told La Libre that “safety comes first, so it’s completely normal that we were evacuated,” but noted that “we were expecting a big weekend, with August 15 being a holiday. Just tonight we had 200 reservations at Mont Rigi and about a hundred tables reserved at Baraque Michel.”
A Region Scarred by Fire
The High Fens have a long and tragic history with wildfires. In 1911, a devastating fire described as the “Enfer de Dante” (Dante’s Inferno) took nearly two months to extinguish and mobilized over 2,000 Belgian and Prussian soldiers armed with simple shovels, as documented by DH. The 2011 fire remains the worst in the area’s recorded history, destroying approximately 1,600 hectares.
This week’s blaze is approaching those historic levels. By Saturday morning, nearly 900 hectares had been burned, according to the governor’s office, as Paris Match reported. SPW spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux acknowledged the scale of the destruction: “The option was rather to retreat to the forest edge and effectively protect the forest at all costs. This also explains why we arrive at already very significant figures, more than 900 hectares. But there it is, it’s probably and unfortunately perhaps not yet the end.”
Climate Context
The fire comes amid unprecedented drought conditions across Western Europe. June and July 2026 were the warmest and driest ever recorded in the region, according to Copernicus satellite data, as VRT NWS reported. Sea surface temperatures reached a record 20.96°C in July, and rivers across Europe have become unnavigable as fields turn brown.
Friday, August 14, was the hottest day of the year in Belgium, with 35.9°C recorded in Uccle. The High Fens, a unique peat bog ecosystem spanning approximately 72,000 hectares, has been particularly vulnerable to the prolonged drought.
The fire has also raised concerns about ecological damage. The blaze occurred during the bird nesting season, destroying ground nests. Species like the whinchat and larks could potentially nest a second time, but the season is already advanced, as RTBF noted in its coverage of a previous fire. Herbaceous zones could recover in 1.5 to 2 months if conditions remain favorable, while heathland could take 1 to 2 years.
What’s Next
As firefighters continue their battle through the weekend, authorities warn that the fire could smolder for weeks. “Even if it ends up being contained, we’re on peat soil, which means we’re going to have a fire that will smolder perhaps for weeks if we don’t have abundant rain,” Yernaux warned.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. No residential evacuations have been ordered as of Saturday morning, but the situation remains fluid. The Francorchamps Enduro Tour motorcycle event has been cancelled for the weekend, and the public is being urged to stay away from the affected area entirely.
With the fire still burning and weather conditions expected to remain hot and dry, the coming days will be critical in determining whether this blaze surpasses the tragic record of 2011 — and what the long-term consequences will be for one of Belgium’s most treasured natural landscapes.