Hautes Fagnes fire contained as authorities begin unprecedented damage assessment

Updated 24 August 2026, 08:00 CEST — Walloon authorities said at 06:30 on Monday that the wildfire burning in the Hautes Fagnes since 14 August was under control, but emergency crews were still extinguishing local flare-ups and assessing damage across the nature reserve. The Walloon government said smoke accumulated overnight as the wind dropped, while several roads and the entire affected perimeter remained closed.

Between 140 and 160 firefighters, police officers, civil-protection personnel, soldiers, forestry agents and Red Cross logisticians worked across the site on Sunday, according to the governor of Liège province

Place

Liège province

Province containing the affected area and involved in emergency coordination.

Why it matters

Province containing the affected area and involved in emergency coordination.

About

Liège is the easternmost province of Wallonia, the primarily French-speaking region of Belgium.

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The authorities are measuring the unprecedented scale of the damage after more than a week of fire. Soirmag reported on 17 August that about 3,000 hectares of forest and peatland had already burned, approaching half of the reserve. That figure remains an early estimate: the Department of Nature and Forests has not yet published a final mapped assessment, and unsafe ground is limiting detailed inspections.

The immediate public-health picture is more reassuring. Wallonia’s environmental administration said monitoring detected no worrying carbon-monoxide concentrations on 23 August. It recorded a temporary rise in fine particles overnight before air quality returned to the “good” category during the morning. The administration also said drinking-water tests met health standards, although enhanced monitoring will continue for several weeks because water moves slowly through the peatland soil.

The Hautes Fagnes contain peatlands that store carbon, regulate water and support specialised habitats, according to the King Baudouin Foundation, which has opened a restoration fund. Burned peat can continue smouldering below the surface after visible flames disappear, complicating both firefighting and the ecological assessment. Walloon authorities also warn of weakened trees, residual smoke and old wartime munitions exposed by the fire.

Residents previously evacuated from Sourbrodt, Küchelscheid and Leykaul were allowed home on 19 August, the Walloon government said. Thirty-four tourist accommodations were evacuated during the 15 August weekend, and some leisure sites remain closed or restricted.

Emergency services will keep patrolling for flare-ups while forestry and scientific teams map the burned area, test environmental samples and determine how much habitat can recover naturally. The final burned surface, the long-term effect on peat and wildlife, and the fire’s cause have not yet been confirmed.