High Fens Wildfire Devastates Rare Peatland Ecosystem
Belgium is battling the largest wildfire in its history as flames continue to consume the High Fens (Hoge Venen) nature reserve, a unique peatland ecosystem on the country’s eastern border. The fire, which broke out on Friday 14 August, has already destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of rare and irreplaceable biodiversity, with multiple active hotspots still burning and evacuations underway in the border town of Monschau, Germany.
A Unique Ecosystem Under Threat
The High Fens is one of Belgium’s most precious natural areas, a raised bog ecosystem fed entirely by rainfall rather than groundwater. The area normally receives significantly more precipitation than the rest of the country, creating conditions that support rare plant and animal species found nowhere else in Western Europe. According to VRT NWS, the peat that forms the foundation of this landscape grows at an astonishingly slow rate of just one millimeter per year.
“It is a unique piece of nature, certainly in our part of Europe,” said Kris Verheyen, professor of forest ecology and management at Ghent University. “In Siberia and Scandinavia there are large plains of raised bog, but here we are usually talking about small, fragmented areas.”
The fire is particularly destructive because it is a peat fire, burning underground where it can smolder for weeks or months. The exceptional drought conditions of August 2026 have dried out the peat surface completely, allowing flames to penetrate deep into the soil. RTBF reports that this makes the fire exceptionally difficult to extinguish.
“We will have to come back for weeks and weeks because every time there will be new fire outbreaks, smoke plumes in the peat,” said Yves Pieper, head of forest management for the Walloon Nature and Forests Department.
Rapid Spread and Historic Scale
The fire began around 13:00 on Friday at the Fagne des Deux-Series near Baelen in the province of Liege. It was first detected by Gerd Xhonneux, a volunteer steward of the Parc Naturel des Hautes Fagnes, who spotted smoke while on a viewing platform near the Baraque Michel. RTBF highlighted the critical role of the volunteer steward program in detecting the blaze early.
What began as an 80-hectare fire on Friday evening exploded in scale over the weekend, growing to 850 hectares by Saturday morning, 1,600 hectares by Saturday afternoon, and more than 3,000 hectares by Sunday. The fire front now stretches over a kilometer in length and remains uncontrolled, according to NOS. Driven by shifting winds, the fire has spread at speeds of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour.
This blaze far exceeds the previous major High Fens fire of 2011, which burned approximately 1,300 hectares. However, that fire occurred in spring when the soil was still wet, preventing the flames from penetrating deep into the peat. The current fire is far more destructive because the parched peat is burning underground.
Evacuations and Emergency Response
Approximately 600 people were evacuated from the hamlets of Sourbrodt (Waimes) and Bütgenbach on Saturday afternoon, with about 30 spending the night in an emergency shelter at the sports hall in Malmedy. In Germany, residents of Plattevenn and Leyloch near Monschau were asked to leave their homes by Sunday morning, while some 5,000 residents of Kalterherberg and Mützenich were placed on evacuation alert.
More than 250 emergency responders worked through the night, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, 70 police officers, 20 Civil Protection workers, 40 military personnel, and medical and psychosocial support staff. The Belgian army deployed three Panther firefighting vehicles, each with a 10,500-liter water capacity and a 90-meter water jet reach.
Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Saturday, bringing international assistance from across Europe. Two Dutch Chinook helicopters equipped with Bambi Buckets capable of carrying approximately 7,600 liters of water each began operations on Sunday morning, joined by a helicopter from the Czech Republic and firefighting aircraft from Sweden. NOS confirmed the Dutch contribution to the firefighting effort.
Farmers from across the region have also joined the fight, driving tractors and water tanks to help supply firefighters. “It is enough to make you speechless,” said Reinier Hoon, a farmer from Riemst who drove three hours to help. “We drive back and forth with water to prevent the fire from crossing the N68.”
Devastating Ecological Consequences
The ecological damage from this fire will be felt for generations. Professor Verheyen warned that the rebuilding of the peat could take decades or even centuries. “With living peatland, where annual growth occurs, we are talking about an average growth of 1 millimeter per year,” he explained. “If you know that there are pieces of peat more than a meter thick, then you know that this development has been going on for a very long time.”
The fire also poses a broader threat to the region’s biodiversity. Rare species bound to the high bog habitat, including the black grouse which has its last Belgian population in the High Fens, now face a severe setback. La Libre reported that the fire has also raised concerns about the reserve’s role as a natural water battery, which regulates downstream water flow.
“The High Fens are a kind of water battery,” Verheyen explained. “There is a lot of precipitation and peat can hold that water like a sponge. If the peat degrades, that capacity decreases and that can have consequences for water drainage.”
Furthermore, peat fires release stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. The peat in the High Fens has locked away carbon for centuries, and its combustion now releases that carbon in a matter of days.
A Broader European Context
The High Fens fire is part of a broader pattern of wildfires across Europe this summer. Major fires have also raged in France’s Landes department and the French Ardennes, as well as in Germany’s Hürtgenwald area. Smoke from the High Fens fire has spread up to 80 kilometers away, reaching the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg, where residents report significant air quality issues.
No significant rain is expected until Wednesday, when forecasters predict 5 to 7 liters of water per square meter. Until then, firefighters will continue their exhausting battle against a fire that shows no signs of yielding. As VRT NWS’s live coverage reported, the situation remains precarious with several fire hotspots still active.
What to Watch For
As the fire continues to burn, several key questions remain. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, which is still unknown. The full extent of the ecological damage will only become clear once the fire is fully extinguished, which could take weeks given the nature of peat fires.
The recovery of the High Fens will be a long-term project requiring significant investment and careful management. Millions of euros have been invested in recent decades to restore the peatland to a living state, and experts are uncertain whether that work can be replicated after this devastating fire.
For now, the priority remains containing the flames and ensuring the safety of residents and emergency workers. The people of Belgium and neighboring countries watch with bated breath as one of the country’s most treasured natural landscapes continues to burn.