Flanders raises nature fire risk to code orange as dry spell grips heathland reserves
The Agentschap Natuur en Bos has raised the nature fire risk level in Flanders to code orange, the second-highest step on its four-colour scale, after a prolonged dry and warm spell left heathland, dunes and pine forest highly flammable. The agency is asking visitors to avoid open flames entirely and to report smoke immediately, while fire services move to heightened readiness in the most vulnerable reserves.
Nature fires in Flanders are overwhelmingly started by people, not lightning, which means the risk level is directly actionable by the public rather than a purely meteorological forecast. For anyone planning to walk, cycle, camp or barbecue in Flemish heath, dune or forest reserves during the alert, code orange changes the calculus: a discarded cigarette or a portable stove that would be harmless in May can start a fire that consumes hundreds of hectares of protected habitat in an afternoon and takes days of fire-service effort to extinguish. It also matters for the habitats themselves — Flanders' remaining heathland is fragmented, Natura 2000-protected and slow to recover, so a single large burn is a conservation loss as well as an emergency-services event.
The Agentschap Natuur en Bos (ANB) is the Flemish government agency, under the Flemish Ministry of Environment, that manages public nature reserves, forests and dunes in Flanders. Among its operational duties is publishing a nature fire risk indicator (natuurbrandrisico) on a four-colour scale — green (low), yellow (increased), orange (high) and red (very high) — assessed per province in coordination with the Royal Meteorological Institute's weather data and the provincial governors, who hold the legal power to close areas or impose bans. Code orange signals a high probability of rapid fire spread and triggers heightened fire-service readiness and public appeals, but not automatic closure; code red typically brings access restrictions to the most vulnerable reserves.
Background
Flanders has treated nature fire as a recurring seasonal risk since the large Kalmthoutse Heide fire of May 2011, which burned across a substantial part of the cross-border reserve and required Dutch firefighting assistance — a turning point that pushed Belgian authorities toward standardised risk levels, better cross-border coordination and aerial support arrangements. The Hoge Kempen and De Liereman areas have seen repeated smaller fires in dry springs and summers since. The underlying vulnerability is partly historical: much of the Kempen's pine forest was planted on former heathland from the nineteenth century onward for mine timber, producing dense, resinous, fire-prone stands that modern nature management has been gradually converting back to open heath.
What to do
During the alert: no barbecues, campfires, camping stoves, cigarettes or fireworks anywhere in Flemish nature areas. Park only in designated spaces — hot exhausts over dry grass are a known ignition source. Stay on marked paths so access routes stay clear. Do not leave glass or litter behind. If you see smoke or flame, call 112 immediately with as precise a location as possible rather than attempting to tackle it. Check the current risk level before travelling to a reserve, since it can change within a day.
Impact
Regional — The alert applies across Flanders, but the practical burden falls on the fire-prone reserve complexes: the Kalmthoutse Heide and De Liereman in Antwerp province, the Hoge Kempen national park and surrounding Limburg heath and pine plantations, and the coastal dunes in West Flanders. Local fire brigades in these zones move to heightened readiness, with pre-positioning of equipment and, in some municipalities, additional patrols. Reserves remain open under code orange; walkers and cyclists should expect signage at entrances and, if the level rises to red, possible closures ordered by the provincial governor.
Opposing perspectives
- Fire services and provincial governors
Fire brigades in the Kempen and coastal provinces, together with the provincial governors who hold closure powers, favour early and visible escalation of the risk level. Their argument is operational: nature fires in dry heath spread faster than crews can encircle them, so the decisive variable is prevention and early reporting, not response capacity. From this position, moving to code orange while conditions are merely dry — rather than waiting for a fire — is the cheapest intervention available.
- Nature reserve managers and conservation bodies
Reserve managers and conservation organisations active in Flemish heathland weigh fire risk against the ecological case for keeping open, dry heath rather than converting it to less flammable woodland. Heathland is a priority Natura 2000 habitat in Flanders and depends on exactly the conditions that make it burn. Their emphasis falls on fire-break design, grazing management and rapid detection rather than on reducing the flammable habitat itself, which would defeat the conservation purpose.
- Recreation users and local tourism operators
Walkers, cyclists, campsite operators and hospitality businesses around the Hoge Kempen and the coast have an interest in reserves staying open through the summer season, and are sensitive to escalation from orange to red. Their position is not that the risk is unreal but that closures should be targeted to genuinely exposed zones and lifted promptly when rain returns, rather than applied broadly and left in place, since blanket restrictions during peak weeks carry real revenue and access costs.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceDe Standaard — Agentschap Natuur en Bos waarschuwt met code oranje voor natuurbranden in VlaanderenPrimary· standaard.beRetrieved 24 July 2026
- View sourceAgentschap Natuur en Bos — natuurbrandrisico (official risk-level information)· natuurenbos.beRetrieved 24 July 2026
- View sourceVRT NWS — coverage of Flemish nature fire risk and heathland fires· vrt.beRetrieved 24 July 2026
- View sourceRoyal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (KMI/IRM) — weather and drought conditions· meteo.beRetrieved 24 July 2026
