Hoge Venen Fire: Over 100 Rescue Workers Still Battling Blaze as Investigators Probe Agricultural Machine Link
More than 100 rescue workers remain on the scene in Belgium’s Hoge Venen (High Fens) nature reserve, 12 days after the country’s largest wildfire in over a century broke out. The fire, which has devastated approximately 3,000 hectares of protected peatland and heath, is still not fully extinguished, with ground continuing to smolder in the northern and eastern sectors of the burn zone, according to VRT NWS.
Authorities are now investigating whether an agricultural machine may have sparked the blaze. The Liege prosecutor’s office said initial findings point in this direction, though officials stress it remains a hypothesis pending further investigation.
A Historic Blaze in a Unique Landscape
The fire broke out on Friday, August 14, around 2 p.m. local time in the Fagne des Deux-Series area, within the Hautes Fagnes-Eifel Nature Park on the territory of the municipality of Baelen. The Hoge Venen, Belgium’s largest nature reserve, sits on a high plateau in the Ardennes-Eifel region and is primarily a raised bog and heathland landscape. Its peat soil - highly flammable when dry and capable of smoldering underground for extended periods - made the fire exceptionally difficult to extinguish.
By the time the blaze was declared under control on Thursday, August 20, it had consumed approximately 3,366 hectares - an area comparable to the entire municipality of Verviers, as L’Avenir reported. This makes it the largest nature fire in Belgium since 1911, when 3,900 hectares burned in the same region.
The fire spread rapidly at 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, driven by prolonged drought and high temperatures. Villages including Sourbrodt and Butgenbach were partially evacuated, and around 2,000 people were evacuated from the German village of Gey during a simultaneous fire in the Hurtgenwald.
International Response and EU Cooperation
The scale of the disaster triggered an unprecedented international response. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated for Belgium, and assistance arrived from the Netherlands, which sent Chinook helicopters, as well as from Norway, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic. Swedish Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss planes drew water from the Meuse river to attack the flames, as NOS reported in the early days of the fire.
King Filip of Belgium interrupted his vacation to visit the affected province on August 17, meeting with emergency services and crisis coordinators, according to NOS. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib and Walloon Minister-President Adrien Dolimont also visited the area on August 25, pledging European and regional support for restoration efforts.
Investigation: Agricultural Machine Hypothesis
The Liege prosecutor’s office has appointed two experts - one specializing in fire investigation and another in vehicle and traffic expertise - to determine the fire’s origin. “In this stage of the procedure, the investigations are still ongoing,” the prosecutor’s office stated. “The researchers are examining different hypotheses. At this point, no definitive conclusion can be drawn about the exact cause of the fire.”
Given the technical investigations required, final reports may take several months, the prosecutor’s office added. The investigation could not begin until this past weekend because the area was too dangerous for experts to access, as NOS reported.
Ecological Devastation and WWII Munitions
The fire has had a devastating impact on the region’s unique biodiversity. The Hoge Venen is home to the last remaining population of black grouse in Belgium - only about 35 individuals, thanks in part to a reintroduction program that brought birds from Sweden. Of 13 GPS-tagged birds, approximately half have lost their signal since the fire broke out, raising fears that the population may have been nearly wiped out. Firefighters did manage to rescue one male black grouse from the burned peatland, as VRT NWS reported.
“Of the 49 threatened bird species in Wallonia, 19 occur in the High Fens,” said Jean-Yves Paquet of Natagora. “Species such as the nightjar or the great grey shrike will in any case have to deal with the consequences of the fire. Where will they build their nests next year?”
The fire also exposed unexploded World War II munitions in an area heavily fought over during the Battle of the Bulge. Some ordnance has detonated due to the intense heat. Jacques Callebaut of the DOVO bomb disposal service warned the public: “It’s very simple: if you find something, just stay away from it and notify the police,” as VRT NWS reported.
Air Quality Concerns
The fire produced record air pollution in Wallonia, with nearly 800 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter measured at the peak - levels far exceeding the threshold at which air quality is deemed “execrable.” RTBF reported that the population was poorly informed about the health risks, with no Be-Alert messages sent to residents during the peak pollution episode.
A Climate Wake-Up Call
The Hoge Venen fire is part of a broader pattern of extreme drought and wildfires across Europe in the summer of 2026. Belgium had already recorded 234 vegetation fires by August 13 - more than double the total for all of 2025, according to researchers at Ghent University.
The Belgian Climate Risk Center (CERAC) had warned in early 2025 that Belgium was not prepared for the increase in nature fires expected over the next 15-20 years. “This will happen again, and then we must be ready,” said CERAC spokesperson Steven Vermeulen. “This must be the last wake-up call,” as VRT NWS reported.
What’s Next
Roads N676, N672, and N68 reopened on Tuesday after approximately 10 days of closure, though the nature reserve itself remains strictly off-limits. Provincial Governor Herve Jamar warned: “There remain real dangers, sometimes invisible. The absence of flames, visible smoke, or emergency services does not mean the area is safe.”
A new evaluation is scheduled for Friday to assess whether the firefighting strategy and deployed resources need adjustment. The ground in the northern and eastern sectors continues to smolder, and officials expect flare-ups to continue for weeks, if not months, until the winter rains arrive.
The King Baudouin Foundation has raised over 73,000 euros for restoration efforts, and experts are already studying how to rehabilitate the unique peatland ecosystem. But the road to recovery will be long - and the lessons from this historic fire will shape Belgium’s approach to wildfire prevention for years to come.