Nightfall halts helicopter operations as High Fens fire forces event cancellations

Updated 18 August 2026 — Firefighting helicopters suspended their water-dropping operations after nightfall on Monday, 17 August, as emergency crews continued tackling the major wildfire in the High Fens in eastern Belgium. Le Soir reported that events in the affected area had been cancelled while the ground operation continued. The fire’s definitive extent, cause and containment status had not been confirmed in the latest material available to Belgium Pulse.

The interruption of helicopter flights at night removes an important tool for reaching burning ground across the reserve’s difficult terrain. It does not mean the wider response has stopped: crews on the ground remain responsible for monitoring the fire, containing its edges and detecting renewed outbreaks until aircraft can operate safely again. The suspension is therefore an operational constraint, not an indication that the emergency has ended.

The closures and cancellations matter immediately for residents, visitors and tourism businesses in the eastern part of Liège province. People should stay away from restricted areas and follow instructions from municipal authorities, emergency services and the Walloon Nature and Forest Department rather than travelling to view the damage. Earlier Walloon guidance for periods of severe fire danger warned that dry vegetation allows flames to start and spread rapidly and that sensitive routes can be closed under the reserve’s red-flag system.

Beyond the emergency response, the fire has struck an unusually vulnerable landscape. RTBF reported, citing Laurane Winandy of the University of Liège’s High Fens scientific station, that rare peatlands and other habitats had been affected. Peat can continue smouldering below the surface after visible flames recede, complicating both extinction work and damage assessment. The ecological consequences will therefore take longer to establish than the immediate burned-area estimate.

The episode follows earlier major fires in the same landscape. An official Liège provincial statement on the 2023 High Fens fire recorded cooperation among Belgian and German firefighters, Civil Protection, police helicopters and the Walloon Nature and Forest Department. That cross-border experience remains relevant because the reserve lies beside Germany and large vegetation fires can quickly exceed the capacity of one local emergency zone.

Authorities are expected to reassess conditions after daylight returns and decide when helicopter rotations can resume. The next significant updates should clarify whether the fire is contained, which roads and paths remain closed, how many people or properties remain affected, and when cancelled activities can safely restart. The origin of the fire remains unconfirmed in the sources reviewed.