High Fens wildfire forces hundreds from homes as crews hold eastern front

Updated 18 August 2026, 08:00 CEST — SOURBRODT, Belgium. Belgian and international crews stopped the High Fens wildfire from advancing towards Germany on Monday, 17 August, but the fire remained uncontained after burning roughly 3,000 hectares since Friday, according to crisis-cell spokesman Tony Hosmans and reporting by AP and Reuters.

Rain and cooler conditions gave hundreds of responders some relief on Monday. AP reported that the fire had entered pine woodland east of the peatland reserve and remained capable of changing direction. King Philippe interrupted his holiday to visit emergency personnel near Sourbrodt, around eight kilometres from the German border.

The danger reached well beyond the fire line. Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said more than 250 emergency personnel had been deployed by Sunday, including Belgian and German firefighters, police, military personnel and Civil Protection teams. AP reported that about 600 residents in Waimes and Bütgenbach had been ordered to leave on Saturday after shifting winds carried smoke towards inhabited areas.

HLN spoke to José, 79, and Kerstin, 61, among residents who left their homes as the fire approached. Kerstin described her husband entering woodland to look for their cattle and said the family would not leave the animals behind. Their account illustrates a recurring difficulty in rural evacuations: livestock cannot always be moved as quickly as people, even when smoke and flames make remaining dangerous.

The blaze has already surpassed the April 2011 High Fens fire, previously described by Wallonia’s public administration as the region’s largest recorded wildfire. The affected landscape includes peat, heath and woodland. AP cited a forest ranger warning that fire can continue smouldering underground in peat and flare again for months.

European assistance forms part of the response. Reuters reported that the EU sent two water-bombing aircraft and three helicopters after Belgium requested help, while neighbouring countries supplied additional crews and equipment.

Authorities have not announced the cause. Evacuated residents should wait for official permission before returning, in line with guidance from Belgium’s National Crisis Centre. Crews will continue watching the perimeter and underground hotspots; the next decisive information will be whether officials can declare the fire contained and begin assessing damage to homes, farms and protected habitats.