Could Belgium burn like France and Spain? Why the wildfire question is now being asked at home
As major wildfires scorched southern France and Spain this summer, La Dernière Heure put a blunt question to Belgians: could the same happen here?
In 30 seconds
- La Dernière Heure asked in July 2026 whether Belgium faces wildfire risk like France and Spain, quoting an expert that there are 'more and more fires at home.'
- Belgium's highest-risk zones are dry heathland and pine areas — notably the Kalmthoutse Heide (Antwerp province) and the Hautes Fagnes / High Fens (Liège province).
- Prolonged drought and heatwaves, both more frequent in recent Belgian summers, are the main drivers raising fire risk.
- Firefighting in Belgium is run through regional rescue zones and federal civil protection, not a single national brigade.
The story concerns whether Belgium faces wildfire risk comparable to the large fires seen in France and Spain in summer 2026. Key entities: La Dernière Heure (DHnet), the Belgian French-language paper that posed the question; the Kalmthoutse Heide (heathland in Antwerp province) and the Hautes Fagnes / High Fens (Liège province), Belgium's most fire-prone landscapes; Belgium's regional rescue zones and federal civil protection; and the EU's Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates cross-border firefighting support.
Background
Belgium has experienced significant heathland and peat fires before, notably a large blaze on the Kalmthoutse Heide in 2011 and fires in the Hautes Fagnes during spring droughts. These events established that Belgium's risk is concentrated in specific dry landscapes rather than spread across its generally wet, densely settled territory — a pattern that predates the current climate-driven rise in fire frequency across Western Europe.
What to do
During droughts, expect access limits and open-fire bans in heathland areas, heightened vigilance from rescue zones, and possible calls on EU firefighting support; residents near high-risk zones should follow regional civil-protection guidance.
Impact
Regional — Wallonia (the Hautes Fagnes plateau in Liège province) and Flanders (the Kalmthoutse Heide in Antwerp province) hold Belgium's highest-risk terrain, making fire prevention a concrete concern for those regions' rescue zones and nature managers rather than an abstract national one.
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- Published:
- 13 Jul 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 5 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 5 Aug 2026
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.