Flanders files criminal complaint after seven fires deliberately set in Hoge Kempen
Limburg prosecutors have confirmed that seven fires in and around Hoge Kempen National Park were deliberately started, as Flanders files a criminal complaint and seeks damages.
In 30 seconds
- A fire expert found three ignition points in Dilsen-Stokkem and four in Genk.
- All seven ignition points were located near the same cycling route.
- About one hectare burned at Opglabbekerzavel; total damage spans several hectares.
- Flanders is filing a criminal complaint and joining the proceedings as a civil party.
Updated 17 July 2026 — prosecutors confirmed on Friday that seven fires reported on Wednesday evening, 15 July, in the Lanklaarderbos in Dilsen-Stokkem and at Opglabbekerzavel in were deliberately set. The fires are out, several hectares of nature have been damaged and no suspect has been identified.
A fire expert and the judicial laboratory found three ignition points in Dilsen-Stokkem and four in Genk, Limburg prosecutor’s office spokesperson Marijke Teunis told Het Nieuwsblad and regional broadcaster TV Limburg. All seven were near the same cycling route. That finding establishes deliberate ignition, but investigators have not said whether one person or several people were responsible or disclosed a motive.
The fires broke out between 20:00 and 21:00 on Wednesday. De Standaard reported that about one hectare burned at Opglabbekerzavel, close to KRC Genk’s stadium, before firefighters brought the blaze under control at about 22:15. The Oost-Limburg emergency zone deployed 15 firefighters, officers, three forest-fire vehicles and two water tankers there.
The operation in the Lanklaarderbos was more difficult. Het Nieuwsblad reported that 25 firefighters were still working late Wednesday and that a police helicopter carried a fire officer over the woodland to map the separate fire sites. The fire flared again on Thursday morning before being extinguished shortly after midday, according to VRT reporting republished by Headliner. Cyclists alerted emergency services to another smouldering patch on Thursday evening, which crews quickly put out.
Flemish Environment Minister said the Agency for Nature and Forests would file a criminal complaint and join the proceedings as a civil party. That status allows the Flemish authorities to seek compensation if investigators identify a perpetrator and a court establishes liability. Brouns said the fires endangered nature, visitors, nearby residents and emergency workers.
The episode follows an eight-hectare fire on the Mechelse Heide days earlier, TV Limburg reported. It also recalls a May 2025 fire in the same national park: Limburg prosecutors later concluded that four ignition points had been deliberately started and that roughly 50 hectares burned, according to VRT NWS.
Where this is happening
View on map Limburg →Police and prosecutors will now examine evidence from the seven sites and the shared cycling route. The identity and number of perpetrators remain unknown, as does the final ecological and financial cost.
What to do
Visitors to Hoge Kempen National Park and nearby nature areas around Genk and Dilsen-Stokkem should check local access information before setting out, obey closures and avoid anything that could create a spark during dry conditions. Anyone seeing an active fire should keep their distance and contact emergency services; potentially relevant observations should be passed to police rather than shared only online. Residents may continue to see investigative or restoration activity. There is currently no named suspect, and the civil-party filing creates no direct claim or cost for ordinary visitors.
Impact
Regional — The damage affects nature areas around Dilsen-Stokkem and Genk in Limburg. Local emergency services committed substantial personnel and specialised forest-fire equipment, while visitors face heightened vigilance across Flemish nature reserves.
EvidenceWell established · 2 primary sources + 1 official document + 2 independent reporting sources · Background sources: 1Explore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
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- 17 Jul 2026, 02:00
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- 17 Jul 2026, 02:00
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- 16 Jul 2026, 02:00
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- 26 May 2025, 02:00
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Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsFlemish environmental authorities
The Agency for Nature and Forests and Environment Minister Jo Brouns treat the fires as serious attacks on protected nature and public safety. They want those responsible identified and the public cost recovered through criminal and civil proceedings.
Criminal investigators
The Limburg prosecutor’s office confirms deliberate ignition at seven locations but has not attributed the acts to any named person or established whether one or several perpetrators were involved. The evidence supports an arson investigation, not speculation about identity or motive.
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