Belgium’s Largest Wildfire Contained, Climate Push Follows
Firefighters have contained the largest nature fire in Belgian history, which has burned approximately 3,000 hectares of the High Fens plateau in eastern Belgium, according to VRT NWS. The fire, which broke out on Friday, August 14, remains fragile with residents of Bütgenbach hamlets Küchelscheid and Leykaul still unable to return home.
A Historic Fire and a Fragile Containment
The blaze, which began near Fagne des Deux-Series, spread rapidly over the weekend, consuming an area roughly equivalent to 4,200 football fields. Emergency crews worked through the night using excavators and shovels to create firebreaks encircling the fire, achieving containment by Wednesday morning.
“We will achieve our goal of encircling the fire today,” said Tony Hosmans, spokesperson for the Liège province governor, during a press conference. However, he cautioned: “This does not mean the situation remains extremely complicated. There are new small fire outbreaks in various places that require intervention by firefighters on the ground.”
Approximately 500 emergency responders remain on the ground, including firefighters from about 20 emergency zones across Belgium, Defense personnel, police, civil protection, and volunteer farmers. About 40 German firefighters are assisting on the eastern flank.
The Peat Fire Challenge
The fire’s persistence stems from its nature as a peat fire, which burns underground in dried peat soil, making it extremely difficult to extinguish. Niels Bouwens of Network Brandweer, the Flemish fire brigade umbrella organization, explained the challenge: “The peat area consists of bone-dry moss. Rainwater runs over it, but doesn’t reach where it smolders underneath. It would need to rain for weeks to make the peat area mossy and water-retaining again.”
Rain has paradoxically complicated firefighting efforts. As VRT NWS journalist Amaury De Meulder noted: “You’d think they’d be happy with rain, but it actually complicates the situation. It doesn’t really help extinguish the fire, much more water is needed, and it impairs visibility for pilots.”
Old World War II munitions buried in the ground have also been detonating due to the fire, though authorities say these areas are identified and pose no danger to firefighters.
International Assistance and Capacity Gaps
The response has drawn on significant international support, including Dutch Chinook helicopters, Norwegian and German firefighting helicopters, and Swedish water-bomber aircraft. A Dutch handcrew of firefighters trained to work on foot in difficult terrain is operating under the leadership of Spanish experts.
However, the crisis has exposed gaps in Belgium’s firefighting capacity. Michael De Nijs, firefighter and president of Emergency Response Alliance Belgium, criticized the lack of immediate air support: “The air support that gets so much attention is standard in other countries. Here it has to go through escalations, a whole procedure.”
“That procedure is relatively fast, but the fire is even faster,” De Nijs added. “You have to tackle the fire directly, at the start. Because the moment we lose control, it’s very hard to regain it.”
Belgium’s only dedicated firefighting aircraft have also left the country, with their storage contract at Zwartberg airfield in Genk terminated and the aircraft relocating abroad.
Brussels Prepares for Soignes Forest Risk
As the High Fens fire continues to smolder, Brussels authorities have stated they are prepared for potential fires in the Soignes forest, a large peri-urban forest near the capital. According to RTBF, Brussels Environment has mapped access routes and identified seven rally points where forest rangers can guide firefighters. About 6% of the Brussels portion of the forest is identified as high-risk.
Pascale Hourman, spokesperson for Bruxelles Environnement, described the situation as “very worrying,” noting that soils are dried out and trees are suffering, some already showing autumn colors.
Major Philippe Bécret of the Brussels Fire Brigade offered some reassurance: “If the risk of forest fires moves north, the Soignes forest consists of large hardwoods, including beeches, which are more difficult to ignite, even though the trees are currently suffering from drought.”
However, climatologist Xavier Fettweiss of the University of Liège has warned that the Soignes forest represents Belgium’s biggest fire danger. In an interview with RTBF, he warned: “If we have a south wind with high temperatures and very low humidity, and the fire takes the Soignes forest, the smoke will go north toward the city of Brussels. At that point, it would mean possibly having to completely evacuate the city of Brussels, which is completely impossible.”
Fettweiss, who warned Walloon authorities in 2021 about the risk of droughts and forest fires, stated bluntly: “For the moment, we are not ready.” He noted that France has comprehensive forest cartography showing access routes and water sources, while “here in Belgium, we have nothing at all.”
Wallonia Announces Climate Adaptation Measures
In response to the escalating climate risks, Wallonia Climate Minister Cécile Neven has promised approximately twenty concrete measures by the end of 2026 to adapt the region to climate change. Speaking to RTBF, Neven said: “I don’t want a catalog of good intentions with 400 measures that aren’t implemented and drag on and on. We’ve made enough plans. Before the end of the year, we will have a restricted catalog of about twenty concrete measures.”
The measures will cover land planning, construction, and soil and water protection. Neven emphasized the importance of practical, affordable solutions: “If you implement measures that are impractical or completely unaffordable, well, you lose that support.”
Wallonia has already developed over 700 vulnerability maps based on two years of work by 40 researchers, covering drought, flood, and fire risks. The High Fens were specifically identified as a high-risk zone on these maps.
Neven also addressed the tension between political and climate timelines: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not here to be elected, I’m here to make things work in the Walloon Region.”
Broader Implications and Forward Look
The fire has triggered a broader national conversation about climate preparedness. Luc Bas, director of CERAC, the Federal Climate Risk Analysis Center, said: “We need much more knowledge and much more coordination in Belgium. Things are being adjusted piecemeal, but prevention is not high enough on the political agenda.”
WWF-Belgium has called for nature restoration as a priority, with Laurence Drèze noting: “What goes up in smoke is also our natural heritage. The High Fens harbor rare nature, rich in unique biodiversity. Every hectare counts.”
The King Baudouin Foundation has established a fund for the ecological restoration of the High Fens, with over 50,000 euros already raised.
The Belgian Chamber’s Interior Committee will meet Thursday to question Interior Minister Bernard Quintin about the fire response. Opposition parties have requested answers on why no federal crisis management phase was declared and the impact of Civil Protection budget cuts.
As firefighters continue to battle flare-ups and monitor the smoldering peat, the fire serves as a stark reminder that Belgium’s climate is changing. With one in three summers projected to be very dry, the question is no longer whether Belgium will face more wildfires, but how prepared it will be when they come.