High Fens wildfire scorches 3,000 hectares as Belgium seeks European help

Updated 17 August 2026 — BAELEN, Belgium: A wildfire that began in the High Fens on Friday had scorched about 3,000 hectares by Sunday, the Associated Press reported, as Belgian and German crews fought to stop the flames advancing through the nature reserve near the German border. Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, according to European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, bringing European aircraft into an emergency operation that remained active through the weekend.

The Associated Press said shifting winds and smoke prompted authorities to order about 600 residents in Waimes and Bütgenbach to leave on Saturday. Tourists were also told to depart, while a gymnasium opened for evacuees. No deaths were reported in the Belgian fire in the latest verified accounts reviewed by Belgium Pulse.

Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar said more than 250 emergency personnel had been deployed by Sunday, according to AP. The operation included Belgian and German firefighters, police officers, military personnel and Civil Protection staff. Farmers from Belgium and Germany also transported water from a nearby lake, AP reported.

René Dahmen of Wallonia’s Department of Nature and Forest told AP that the fire was still spreading on Sunday across terrain that crews struggled to reach. The eastern flank was advancing towards municipal woodland, while Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said firefighters had limited movement towards the west and towards the German town of Monschau. German authorities placed the fire at roughly 1.5 kilometres from the border on Sunday, according to AP.

The latest estimate represents a sharp increase from the 1,600 hectares reported in an earlier De Morgen update. The difference reflects the fast-moving assessment of an evolving fire perimeter, rather than a settled calculation of land fully destroyed. A definitive ecological damage figure will require field and satellite surveys after crews secure the area.

The High Fens is especially vulnerable during prolonged dry weather because fire travels through dead vegetation and can persist in organic soil. In an April 2025 warning, Wallonia’s public service identified low rainfall, sunshine and drying winds as conditions that accelerate fires in open and semi-open landscapes. The authority said a 2011 High Fens fire burned 1,200 hectares, making the present emergency exceptional in Belgium’s recent history.

European assistance is significant because Belgium does not maintain a large national fleet of specialist firefighting aircraft. The European Commission says the Civil Protection Mechanism coordinates cross-border offers and maintains a 2026 rescEU reserve of aircraft, helicopters and firefighting teams. Authorities are expected to update the active perimeter, evacuation orders and road or reserve closures as crews inspect remaining fronts and underground hotspots.