Record High Fens fire exposes limits of Belgium’s wildfire capacity

Updated 4 September 2026, 12:00 CEST — NAMUR — Walloon authorities began coordinating the High Fens’ tourism recovery on Tuesday, 1 September, after the wildfire that started on 14 August affected 3,370 hectares and forced Belgium to mobilise help from across the country, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The Walloon government says parts of the nature park remain closed for safety while accessible areas are reopening to visitors.

The fire is under control, but the emergency has not fully ended. The Walloon Public Service reported that a peatland hotspot flared again on 27 August and burned about six additional hectares before crews contained it. Monitoring and site-security work continued because peat can smoulder underground and reappear at the surface. Authorities have not determined the fire’s cause.

At the height of the operation, more than 15 Belgian emergency zones supplied crews, according to the Walloon government. German and Luxembourg firefighters reinforced them, while two Dutch helicopters carried water and Belgian Defence deployed specialised Panther vehicles. The operation demonstrated the value of cross-border assistance, but also the vulnerability created when several countries need the same aircraft, specialists and crews at once.

Belgium’s Climate Risk Assessment Centre, CERAC, had already identified that pressure. Its February 2025 assessment said hotter conditions and longer dry periods would raise the likelihood of more severe fires and simultaneous outbreaks during the following 15 to 20 years. CERAC also found gaps in Belgian fire records, risk mapping, early detection and coordination. In July 2026, it said Belgium had already registered 71 wildfires during the year and that more than 90% were connected to human activity.

The pressure is continental. The European Commission says a record one million hectares burned across the EU in 2025. For summer 2026, it prepared 777 firefighters, 22 aeroplanes and five helicopters for cross-border deployment. In March, the Commission also proposed expanding the permanent rescEU fleet by 12 aircraft and five helicopters while strengthening prevention and risk modelling.

Those shared assets remain essential, but they cannot guarantee reinforcements when fires erupt across Europe simultaneously. For Belgium, the High Fens operation makes the immediate priorities concrete: faster detection, compatible command arrangements, trained specialist crews and sufficient domestic equipment to hold a major fire until international support arrives. The next tests are the official evaluation of the response, the investigation into the ignition and decisions on restoring the damaged peatland and tourism economy.