High Fens fire overwhelms crews as commanders prioritise containment

Updated 18 August 2026, 10:00 CEST — Firefighters continued battling the High Fens wildfire in Liège province on Tuesday after commanders acknowledged that the blaze exceeded the capacity available on the ground, forcing crews to choose which sectors to defend. De Standaard reported from the affected area that teams were concentrating their limited personnel and water on stopping the fire crossing roads or reaching adjoining forests and communities.

The fire began on Friday, 14 August, and spread rapidly through exceptionally dry heath and peat. VRT NWS reported at the start of the emergency that provincial authorities activated their disaster plan as the affected area expanded. The precise perimeter and final burned area remain subject to field and aerial assessment while operations continue.

Residents and visitors must stay outside closed areas and follow municipal instructions. Wallonia’s environmental administration explains that a red flag prohibits entry to the most sensitive parts of the reserve when dry vegetation creates an acute fire risk. Anyone seeing a new fire should call 112, provide an exact location and leave without taking personal risks.

The ecological damage extends beyond the vegetation visible at the surface. Laurane Winandy, director of the University of Liège’s High Fens scientific station, told Le Soir that the fire had reached rare peatland habitats and areas restored over decades. She warned that peat can continue smouldering underground and reappear at the surface, requiring infrared surveys and prolonged monitoring after the open flames are contained.

That underground threat explains why containment does not mean extinction. Emergency crews must first protect people and prevent the fire entering dense woodland; nature managers can assess peat depth, habitats and restoration options only once the terrain is safe. The High Fens previously suffered Belgium’s largest recorded nature fire in April 2011, when more than 1,300 hectares burned, according to the Belgian Earth Observation platform.

Authorities have not yet established the cause of the present fire or released a definitive damage assessment. The next critical tests are whether crews can hold the containment lines, whether hidden peat fires generate new outbreaks and when evacuated or closed zones can safely reopen.